The Felix Burton Story Book 3: Shadeglass the Ferryman's Vessel
by DreoganDragon
Summary: Felix, having denounced the name given to him by his, now dead, father, is also arranging to take hold of the family fortune. Having to deal with the remnants of the Wizarding bureaucracy, his siblings plans, and a new growing threat in Hogwarts will test the limits and measure of his character.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Superconducting Magic

The sun's bountiful rays bathed the detached houses of Falcon Lane, its inhabitants out and about enjoying the summer.  
Felix closed the paneled, wooden door behind him. and with a jump found himself on his hover bike's saddle. His legs found the gyro-pedals and with a shove of his pelvis and abs he was off to Charles' house, three blocks away. Lush green surrounded him as the trees soaked the sun in. Running through the two storied buildings, on the solar-paneled road he reached his destination.  
His mother, with her sister's aid, had rented a house not far from where the Blakes lived. A wonderful two storied house painted cyan blue on the outside, with ceramic tiled roof, frosted windows on the ground floor and crystal clear on the upper floor, and a metal rooster on the chimney. Despite the destruction of the buildings of all Magical Governments in over one hundred and forty countries, the UK included, by his half-brother not two months earlier, he was in a great mood.  
For one thing it was the first summer he had not gone to the Manor at all, living with his mother and the Blakes, his cousins. For another, not long after they had arrived in Cornwall, and their summer vacations had begun, he and Charles had started with their experiments, one of Charles' ideas. Trying to mix superconducting metals, in liquid form, with wand cores and see if it would make them stronger, more powerful mediums of magic.  
Three weeks ago, their first parcel containing the minerals had arrived. So, far they had had a lot of fun, and not as much if any success.  
There was yet another reason why he was in his happiest state in his so far life. Just days before the Ministry's destruction his lawyer had succeeded in legally changing his name and surname, he was now, officially, no longer Dreogan Gaunt, but Elario Felix Burton, or Felix.  
He let his bike hovering next to the Blakes' bikes and rang the doorbell.  
"I'll get it!" A boy's voice sounded from inside the house.  
"Al my man!" Felix fist-bumped his middle cousin, standing in the doorway.  
"I'm coming to Hogwarts!" The boy gave him a toothy grin. "We're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow!" He said, beaming with excitement.  
"I'm not sure, I think you might have mentioned it a time or two", Felix teased him.  
"Or a thousand! Not fair, I have to wait two more years!" William appeared out of the living room's open door, hugging Felix.  
"You'll get there, can I come in now, please?" Felix poked Alfred's ribs.  
"Oh, whooops! Sure", Alfred stepped aside, closing the door behind Felix.  
"It's weird", Alfred stated.  
"What is?" Felix knew the question that was coming.  
"Explain to me again, please. How is it I know your name used to be….but I can't even say it anymore? Why can I only call you Felix!"  
"After my lawyer went through all of the Ministry's red tape, and everything there was done and finished a Ministry official cast a spell, making everyone who had ever known or met me to be sort of forced to call me by the new name. It's not exactly "forced" it's more like you know my name used to be Dreogan, but you end up calling me Felix, until Dreogan is forgotten and you start calling me Felix as if that had been my name since my birth. But you already know all of this."  
Alfred giggled, shrugging his shoulders.  
"Let my cousin in! We've got work to do!" Charles' voice came, as loud thumbing noises came, descending the stairs.  
"It arrived?" Felix asked, looking at Charles' appearing body, legs up.  
"Yas!" Charles hugged him.  
"Whoah! Let's go", Felix grinned wide.  
"He's our cousin as well, you know!" Alfred whined, playfully.  
"The nerve! What a git", William nodded with his head.  
"I know right."  
"I have to ask mum to send those two to the orphanage", Charles quipped, half joking.  
"She wouldn't!" Alfred answered back, mocking hurt.  
"Probably she'd send him, we are way cuter than him", William said, fighting back giggles.  
"And we're not gits", Alfred agreed, pointing with his index finger, at nothing in particular. His wavy black hair falling all over his blue eyes.  
"I wouldn't go that far", Felix chuckled.  
"I am mortally wounded now, oh woe!" William feigned he was dying.  
They all laughed.  
"It's so damn hot, the past three weeks!" Charles announced, his forehead clear of sweat, his spiky brunette hair glistening, watered up. Seeing as it was early morning Charles must have watered them into shape after waking up.  
"I wouldn't call twenty-five Celsius way too hot", Felix laughed.  
"You have a better tolerance to heat than me", Charles poked his tongue at him.  
"You could say, I am a more evolved specimen, indeed", Felix tried to say with a straight face.  
"Ha! On your dreams! Just keep dreamin' cuz!" Charles tried to headlock him, but Felix evaded him.  
"We are, me and Will that is, we are newer generation than you two, so if anyone's more evolved around here, that's us!" Alfred grinned while William nodded in solemn, silent agreement.  
Felix and Charles looked at each other and with a smirk launched themselves at the two boys, tickling them.  
After a few seconds of squirming and fits of giggles, they left the younger Blake brothers behind, heading for the garage.  
"Where is it?"  
"In the garage, away from mum's preying claws!" Charles chuckled, opening the door to the backyard and the garage's rear entrance.  
"Been reading up on more wand lore, pays to communicate with the finest wand maker in the land", Felix followed him, in his sneakers, jeans and sleeveless white shirt he had enchant-printed Hogwarts' crest on.  
"I'll never know how you managed to convince him to share his knowledge with you", Charles looked behind his shoulder.  
"I have an interesting, stubborn wand", Felix gave him a mischievous grin. "And I can be persuasive."  
"You are a stubborn mule, you mean?"  
Charles squealed as Felix poked his ribs. "Damn straight! So, been reading up after our two last experiments went…wrong."  
"Why do you say that?" Charles snorted. "Because we ended up making craters in the backyard?"  
"No, because one of them was larger than the one the Ministry explosion left!" They laughed, Charles closing the door behind them.  
"Well, hopefully this superconductive metal won't explode when we try to liquify and insert it in the wand's core!" Charles said, picking up a package from one of the piles of unused items in the garage.  
"If it does, your mum has another two kids, 'cause she'll likely off you, third crater's the charm!" Dreogan came around to Charles' front.  
"Have a cousin they said, it will be fun they said!"  
"No one said that, ever."  
"See!"  
Charles tore open the package digging out its silvery contents.  
"According to the wand lore I was given to read, the wand wood is treated in a way that makes it able to conduct magic as a medium, and after the core has been made quasi-sentient, they are mixed with a transfiguration spell that allows it to take the shape it requires and desires, a wand is as a wand wants and why a wand chooses its master", Felix recounted.  
"Ever feel we're way over our heads with this one?" Charles joked.  
"Even when I'm asleep! But it helps keep Azrail at bay", Felix replied, half-kidding.  
"Dreams, still?" Charles looked worried.  
"No, emotions. But he has underestimated me, because I wasn't supposed to be able to send emotions back at him and I can. He feels more despair when I "send" him how I feel about you or mum than how I feel when he sends me how he feels about me or the world", Felix explained.  
"That's…good, I guess?"  
"Better than the alternative. Now, let's do this!" Felix took hold of the silvery substance, looking at it curiously.  
They went outside with Charles placing a wand at the center of the garden, then stepping back.  
He then got his wand out and cast protego and other protective spells around them.  
Felix grabbed hold of his wand in one hand levitating both wand and superconductive metal. He proceeded to liquefying a small portion of the metal, after he had spell-cut it from the rest of the block of it.  
"Okay, here goes nothing. I hope Olivander isn't having fun with us, with the spells he gave me, 'cause if he is and we die Imma gonna haunt his store for the rest of eternity!"  
Felix, begun casting the spells, waving his wand in the air. At first nothing happened, then with a flash of blue the wand separated to wood, and core.  
"I guess with the Ministries destroyed there's no one to surveil for minors casting spells outside of school", Charles said, but Felix gave no sign he had heard him, concentrated fully as he was over the disassembled wand. Jokes aside he was fully aware a single mistake during the process could cause far more devastation than a crater in the middle of the backyard.  
He then brought the liquified metal closer and closer, as slowly as he could, to the wand's exposed core until it had completely covered it. Finishing, he solidified the metal and re-assembled the wand.  
The wand started glowing bright red.  
"Come on, work!" Felix whispered.  
Charles crossed his fingers.  
The black coloured wood wand continued to glow ever brighter, now visibly shaking mid-air.  
"Duck for cover!" Charles yelled before running for the garage's door.  
Felix managed to place an inverted protego around the unstable wand, yet the explosion went through both it and the protective spells Charles had placed around them, sending them flying up against the house's wall.  
"CHARLES GEORGE BLAKE!" Helen's roar came from inside the house.  
"Oh, shit! We're done for!" Charles groaned, trying to stand up.  
"What did I tell you, about doing your experiments in this house?!" She came bursting through the door.  
"Well, technically we're outside! Okay, I'll shut up now", Charles tried to joke but his mother's gaze left no room for humour.  
"I'm sorry aunt Helen, it won't happen again", Felix tried to mitigate her anger.  
"Oh, you betcha. Give me both your wands", She said outstretching her hand, her other hand pressing in on her waist.  
"But mum!" Charles mouthed, horrified.  
"But nothing. You'll get them back before boarding Hogwarts express."  
Charles gave her his wand, knowing not to continue arguing when she was as angry as this.  
Felix turned his attention to his wand to see it glow silver in his hand. Some of the Gallium had entered the hole in the back, ejected from the explosion. It stopped glowing.  
From one moment of sheer panic Felix's face transformed to understanding.  
"It's incomplete! All the other wands were completed! Mr. Olivander said this was one of his first creations, and he has not made many if any other ones with two woods and cores, since", Felix drew breath and grabbed Charles' wand from Helen's hand. "Accio Gallium!" Before Helen could react to anything, he was casting the transfiguration spells.  
"Mum, no! You disrupt this, Cornwall becomes a crater", Charles held down his mother's hands.  
"And I'll soon have three like this, I am brimming with joy and confidence for the future, now", She breathed, trying to hide her frustration and amusement.  
In swift, nigh seamless motions Felix liquified the silvery blue metal and stuffed it inside his wand's hole, in the back.  
Five minutes later the wand begun to glow red, then it turned silver before the glow faded.  
"Did it work?" Charles asked hesitantly.  
Felix shrugged. "It hasn't exploded, yet. That's something!"  
"Is it safe?" Helen asked.  
Felix caught in his hand, looking it over. "The hole is gone! Should be safe, yeah…I think."  
Helen grabbed hold of both wands. "You'll see them, again, in three weeks."  
"I wish Claudia and Emerick were here", Charles sighed.  
"They are safer with their families, I hope", Felix replied him.  
"They are fine, I'm sure", Helen left.  
"By no means is she colossally pissed off at the moment!" Charles remarked.  
Felix pocketed the rest of the Gallium. "Good thing we have spares! It was a ten wands order!" He grinned. "Won't be the same as using our wands, but it'll do. Let's go to the forest nearby, no trace and not our wands, I want to test dueling spells."  
"Wicked! Ministry's right tracing us kids doing spells outside of school. This stuff's sick, how could we not do it twenty-four seven?"  
"Right?!"  
They grabbed their bikes, made a stop by Felix's house to grab two wands and headed to the woods, away from prying eyes.  
The rest of the summer holidays went by without much incident, although much of it was new to Felix, living with a parent and family who loved him. Everything was still, the world was stunned seeing as most of the Magical Government Buildings had been in, around or under Muggle Government establishments, yet they were happy in their little corner of the world. They corresponded via owls, and Caladrius, with Emerick and Claudia.  
Helen and Hope took the kids to Diagon Alley for Alfred's school supplies which turned out to be an interesting and funny experience, although Charles noted how Diagon Alley seemed mute, in comparison to when he had visited it last, two years ago.  
Four weeks later, they were boarding the Hogwarts Express.  
"Mate!" Charles yelled, seeing Emerick coming through the Muggle section of King's Cross to platform nine and three quarters.  
"Did you all get your Hogsmeade permission slips?" He asked them. after the accustomed fist bumps and handshakes.  
"Yeah! That's going to be aweseomeballs!" Charles beamed.  
"Hogsmeade? Can I come?" Alfred asked, boarding the train.  
"It's Britain's only all-wizarding village. And from the third year up you can visit periodically throughout the year", Felix explained. "Don't worry we'll bring you back cool stuff until you can go", He added seeing the younger boy's face sadden up at realizing he couldn't go with them.  
"Do you think I'll be Hufflepuff like me bro?" Alfred pipped in. Claudia and Emerick took a seat at one of the compartments.  
"Unlikely, you are far too…too…rambunctious to be a Hufflepuff", Claudia teased him.  
"I am not! I'm just a healthy, loud boy."  
"You are that, cuz", Felix chuckled. "Now, why don't you try and find some other first years? Get to know people you might spend seven years with?"  
Alfred's face changed. "Uh…I'm not sure. Can't I sit with you lot? I know you."  
"Go on", Felix gave his shoulders a squeeze. "There's nothing to be afraid of, in here. Go make some friends."  
"Okay, maybe I'll find a best friend who ends up being a cousin as well!" Alfred run off to another wagon.  
"God, I hope not", Felix whispered, sitting next to his friends.  
"Let's get some exploding snap from the cart", Charles stated.  
Platform nine and three quarters was not as noisy as usual, parents escorted their kids to the train looking left and right, scared.  
"I still can scarcely believe it, he managed to do this in one hundred and forty-seven countries…" Emerick voiced, looking outside, at the shock still residing in people's faces, nigh three months later.  
"Father was planning his empire, half-brother was planning…different."  
"The attacks have stopped, though. Except for some sporadic things here and there", Charles said.  
"Why though? There is no one to hunt Azrail anymore, and he stops? He can single-handedly rule the world if he so chooses and he stops? I know he never wanted the Imperium Arcana but…why destroy everyone who can stop him or get in his way only to do nothing after?" Felix wondered.  
"That we can't see or know what he's doing doesn't mean he's doing nothing. He has dropped a shroud of darkness, fear and despair over the world, Muggle and Wizard alike. His shadow now spreads over all continents and everyone's exactly afraid of that. When is he coming to conquer and kill us? Meanwhile what is he doing?" Claudia asked around.  
"Who knows, maybe he decided to take up being a monk…no? Okay", Felix joked. "I don't want to think of him, we're going back to Hogwarts."  
The clouds followed them all the way to Scotland, casting shadows and rain on the grasslands landscape and the compartment windows.  
"I'm not going with you guys?" Alfred asked, switching his gaze between Professor Jordan and Charles.  
"Don't worry, you're going to see the whole castle from the lake, all lit up. Then it's the sorting ceremony. Go on", Charles assured him.  
Alfred followed Professor Jordan, if with some hesitation.  
"It never, ever will grow old, getting on self-dragged carriages, to go to a castle to learn magic!" Charles beamed.  
"Self-dragged? They are horse-dragged. There's eight skeletal, winged horses pulling each carriage. You can't see them?" Felix said, astonished.  
"Horses? Carriages? No, I can't! I wonder why!" Charles raised an eyebrow.  
"They're Thestrals", A seventh year Gryffindor said to their front and left. "Be glad you can't see them, only those who have experienced or seen death can", She stepped on one of the other carriages.  
"Well, I guess that explains why I can't see them", Charles shrugged. "I wonder if a mobile camera can? Take a picture of them!" Felix got his holophone out, snapping a picture.  
"That's a nope!" Charles remarked, seeing the holographic picture, displaying only the carriages on the cobblestoned street, next to the train platform, leading to the castle.  
After the short carriage ride, Professor Horsewood welcomed them into the castle, and in the Great Hall.  
"Ah Mr. Burton…that spell never gets easier, does it? Nevermind that, please take your seat here", She pointed at the front of the Slytherin table, next to the end of the table.  
"Uh, okay. Ma'am", When everyone had settled down, and the Professors in their table Professor Horsewood went for the first years.  
Felix did not pay attention to the Sorting Hat's song, instead he turned his gaze across the Great Hall. The Headmistress looked tired and little, despite her tall stature.  
Horsewood stood in front of the Professors' table and to the left of the Sorting Hat on the stool and between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables in the middle with the Gryffindor table on the right by the Fireplace and the Slytherin table on the left. Candles floated above their heads, and the ceiling showed the sky outside with the House banners hanging, levitated.  
"Whoaaaahh!" Alfred whispered, in his Plain Hogwarts robes waiting in line to get sorted into one of the four Houses.  
Professor Adams, Headmistress of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, gave a nod to Professor Horsewood who called out the first name.  
"Hyacinth Green", A short, black girl with shaved half a head and long locks on the other half walked up to the stool, Horsewood getting the hat on her head.  
The Hat had barely touched her head when it screamed "Slytherin!" She looked pleased with herself as she stood up, walked to the Slytherin table and sat down, very lady like, and very un-child-like.  
"Uriel Kazlow", and the sorting ceremony continued. Ten kids later Horsewood called the name Felix and his friends were waiting for.  
"Alfred Blake", The boy walked up to it, sat down and placed the Hat on his head. "let's get this over with" was painted all over his head.  
This was another easy choice for the Hat as it screamed "Gryffindor!"  
"Oh…" Alfred walked to the Gryffindor table.  
Twenty kids later the last kid sat on his House's table.  
"Cheer up! Gryffindor are great!" Felix mouthed to him. "Great, courageous to the point of stupid and sometimes they make you wonder at their ability to be simultaneously intelligent and stupid. Yeah Al's gonna be great in there…" He thought to himself. He was so lost at smirking to his thoughts that he missed the reason why, suddenly, the Professors, except for Rawthorn, sat at the edge of their seats and why students gasped.  
"Dreogan Gaunt aka Felix Burton", Someone had said that, Felix registered it now.  
No, wait it wasn't someone. Not a Professor or a student. Not the Headmistress. He hadn't imagined it and so had not everyone else.  
"Uh…Mr. Burton, if you would. Please, approach", Horsewood now called his name, pointing at the stool. "The Sorting Hat!" Felix screamed internally. The Sorting Hat had yelled his name? Whatever for! He had been sorted all three years ago.  
"Uhm…" Felix stood up and took two strides to the stool, wanting very much the Earth to swallow him, again.  
"This is a hard decision to make…hardest one in good long while", Said the sorting hat after five minutes of complete silence. It was repeating what it had said the first time, and this time it wasn't whispering it either.  
"I have not seen such bravery since the twentieth century and such cunning and wit since before that. You have no ambition for power and yet…Gryffindor, you'd fit nicely in there, but you'd be well placed in Ravenclaw as well and Huf…yes that might be it!" The sorting hat contemplated aloud, before yelling out, "Hufflepuff!"  
Charles broke out cheering, as did the rest of the Hufflepuff table.  
"First Slytherin, now Hufflepuff? I like yellow as much as the next guy, but what on Earth happened the first time around? Thought you could have a giggle and send me over to the-vanity-and-greed-covers insecurity-and-arrogance table for a year and see how it goes?" He said loudly.  
A few people laughed, yet the Hat seemed uninterested of his sarcasm.  
"My will was…bypassed. Do sit in your House's table, Mr. Burton."  
"Right…" Felix stood up and sat on the, currently, very loud Hufflepuff table, next to Charles.  
"What just the fuck happened?" He whispered to Charles.  
"We're in the same House!" Charles nearly screamed.  
Adams stood up, standing on the podium at the center of the Professors' table and the room fell silent.  
"Well, that was certainly an interesting experience, and a new one from the Sorting Hat. We are all here, or at least most of us, for another year of learning despite all of what's happened on the outside world. That is what we are here to do, teach young minds, while the adults fix what they broke. Let us eat, after reciting the Hogwarts' song."  
Felix phased out the cacophony of voices singing what he thought was an entirely stupid song.  
After the song, the Headmistress clapped her hands and the tables filled with food and beverages.  
"This never gets old, cuz", Felix nodded, stuffing his mouth full of roast.  
"Like for realz I'm now no more a Slytherin? I want to believe it but I'm expecting a jack-of-all-trades thingy jump up and "nah nah nah! You've been had!""  
After they were all fed and watered Horsewood ordered the Prefects to take the first years in their respective common rooms. Instinctively Felix made to go for the Slytherin Common room.  
"Where are you going?" Charles raised an eyebrow, pressing a hand on his shoulder. "I mean we're both in the dungeons, but you're a Huff and puff now!"  
"Cute, that yours?" Felix stopped walking.  
"Yeah", Charles grinned wide.  
"So, Mr. Huff-and-puff, what's the password to our common room?" Felix stood to the side of the entrance to the common room.  
"It's funny how robes are enchanted to change colour to your house, like with the first-years. And I dunno the password, Prefects know them."  
"Right, hey you know the password?" Felix asked an older boy.  
"Fizzled cockatrice", The sixth-year boy replied, entering the, now, opened door.  
They entered through the round door, and it was immediately clear to Felix, that while both Hufflepuff and Slytherin Houses had their common rooms underground, in the dungeons, whereas Slytherin's common room, and dorms, were a green-drapes low lit gloomy place, Hufflepuff's common room was a circular room, with sunlight coming through the portholes all around the wall near the ceiling and pots with plants hang all around. Yellow-tinted bricks made up the walls.  
There were several leather couches and armchairs spread out across the floor with two large fireplaces each in forty-five degrees angle from the door on opposite sides of the room, fire burned in each of them warming up the room. To the left of the left fireplace and the right of the right there were two spiral staircases. Felix supposed they led to the boys' and girls' dormitories, and indeed they did as Charles headed to the one on the right.  
"This place is wicked", Felix grinned to himself.  
"You do of course realise that everyone's gonna be looking weird at you tomorrow, yes?" Charles asked him, climbing the stairs.  
"Eh, I'm used to it. Perhaps this time, with the Sorting Hat involved I'll get some fucking respect around here."  
"I wouln't go that far. Save someone's life or something and we can discuss it", Charles chuckled.  
"I have! Emerick's breathing still yeah?"  
"Doesn't count, not Huff and puff."  
"You're sticking with that one, aren't you?"  
"I like it."  
"You're the only one."  
"I'm hurt now."  
"As much as I'm a chimera."  
"You might be, who knows. Slytherin and Hufflepuff, badger body, snake tail, yummy?"  
"You can't possibly be that hungry after eating three shepherd's pies! I don't mean three pieces. No, I mean three whole goddamn pies!"  
"What? I like pies and I'm a healthy growing lad."  
"Yeah, growing healthily sideways."  
"Excuse me! I'm thinner than you."  
"In your dreams."  
"Is this going to be like every night from now on?" A slim, tall, red-haired boy interrupted their banter. They were in one of the dorms. Each housing five kids. "Hello, by the way. I'm Kevin Moray", They shook hands.  
"Yeah it is, welcome to the family!" Charles grinned, shaking his hand. "Where's the other one? There's supposed to be five of us?" Jus then the fifth boy entered the dorm room.  
"Charles!" The blond haired, round boy said. "Oh, right. You're a Hufflepuff now", He stated staring at Felix.  
"And this ball of joy is George", Charles cracked a grin.  
"I'm tired", George said, and started changing to his PJs.  
"You're always tired", Charles said.  
"I ate a lot."  
"You always eat a lot", Keven said.  
Felix lay on the bed, under the duvet in his PJs feeling his stomach full. Looking to his left he saw Charles sleeping in his four poster. He couldn't believe he was now not only no longer a Slytherin but in the same House as his cousin, but he was. On this moment, on this night, there was little next to nothing that could ruin his mood as he drifted off to sleep with a smile on his lips.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Shimmering

The morrow next started with their first class of the year, Potions. Professor Turney looked like he could barely talk to deliver them the lecture on shrinking solution.  
"I swear to god he's getting more dead by the year, if we acquire ourselves a second droning Professor Ghost Imma quit", Charles said after classes ended.  
"What electives did you all choose?" Claudia asked.  
"I got Care of magical creatures, muggle studies and divination", Charles replied.  
"I got CMC as well", Emerick said. "As well as arithmancy and runes."  
"I got muggle studies, arithmancy and runes", Claudia said.  
"I got CMC, divination, muggle studies and runes", Felix said, climbing the Grand Staircase to the basement level, for the transfiguration classroom.  
"Electives start in two weeks, until then I'm researching animagi", Claudia said, lowering her voice.  
"Won't we learn it in transfiguration class?" Emerick asked.  
"Not until the sixth year, I'm not waiting until then", Claudia cracked a mischievous grin.  
"What could possibly go wrong?" Charles exclaimed. "I'm in."  
"Oh, well lots of things. Transfiguration could go wrong, you could remain part animal part human forever or you know…die."  
"I'm in", Felix said.  
"I'll wait", Emerick said.  
"Need to find out some stuff and get some details ironed out and we can attempt it…"  
An hour later transfiguration was coming to an end. Having learned felifors, how to turn items into rabbits it had been a fun lesson.  
Two weeks later they were learning about how muggles use electricity, during Muggle studies when a pamphlet was passed on to Felix and Claudia's desk. It was a single page, with the front of it white with a single drop of blood with an "x" over it while the back side had only APBm and ENOUGH under it.  
"I wonder what this is about?" Claudia discarded the pamphlet back on the desk, taking notes.  
"Oh, I don't like this, I don't like this at all", Felix crumpled it in his hand.  
The next three weeks' lessons saw more and more people holding and passing on these pamphlets, with more messages on them. "Enough! They blew up the Ministry!" "Never again! Resist Pure Blood Propaganda!" "Enough! End Pure Blood Reign!"  
"I wonder who is behind these", Emerick said holding one in his hand.  
"I dunno, but it worries me."  
The start of the school year had been weird from the start, and the Sorting Hat's change of mind had been followed by an earie silence in the corridors and the classrooms. The younger students seemed scared and subdued, except for Alfred, and the older ones always on guard and edgy. It was as if a deep shadow had fallen over the school, and the wizarding community and would not relinquish control.  
"I wonder what the people behind this are after, could just be venting over the world-wide Ministry buildings destruction last year, no?" Claudia said with a shrug.  
"Could be, yeah. Although, it sounds more like hatred fueled by fear and what scares me is someone going further than spreading some half-lame pamphlets", Dreogan asserted.  
"We have History of Magic after, let the annual droning commence!" Charles said in a hushed voice.  
"What's funny is learning about the Muggle world we grew up in for eleven years, from the Wizarding world's perspective. Damn right hilarious!" Emerick said, taking notes on what wizards thought mobile phones run on.  
The class finished ten minutes later.  
"Oh…yay History of Magic next, can we have an Earthquake? I prefer an Earthquake to Mr. Binns", Emerick said, closing his inkwell, putting the parchment rolls in his backpack.  
"Yeah with an Earthquake you dance around some, shaking from below, falling objects from above", Felix stuffed his stuff in his backpack. "Or perhaps Azrail decides to invade Hogwarts and we have to battle him, even that's better than History of Magic, but hey we have exploding snap."  
"I'd prefer a legion of chimeras and dragons invading the castle", Charles said, they exited the classroom. "We will die having learned something then."  
"How to care for dragons and chimeras?" Felix asked, cracking a grin.  
"No, prefer History of Magic droning and complete, utter and soul crashing boredom to impossible, unhappening eventualities.", Claudia said, cutting in before Charles could answer.  
"I was gonna say, running but yeah that works as well!"  
History of Magic never failed to disappoint students on how boring an hour can become. Mr. Binns would appear through the wall, sit on his chair and drone on for an hour nonstop. Not having to breathe meant his tone of voice never changed, neither did he put any emotion or feeling into it, he paused only for punctuation marks in the History of Magic book he was reading from and he spent the bigger part of his classes with his back to his students as he wrote in the blackboard.  
"Dear gods, four more years of Mr. Binns", Felix thought aloud.  
"Famous first, middle and last words of every student since before his death", Claudia remarked.  
"I wonder why he's so boring", Felix said. "No one's born boring, I wonder why he became so much."  
"Who knows, maybe he was just born like this", Charles shrugged.  
"Or maybe he just gave up after no one showed interest in his class", Emerick shrugged.  
Their conversation continued after they sat in their desks in the History of Magic classroom and Mr. Binns started his lesson about the stature of secrecy of 1689 while taking notes and was interrupted only when someone knocked on the door, entering without waiting for a reply from Mr. Binns.  
"May I borrow Mr. Stalwart, Mrs. Russo, Mr.'s Blake and Burton, please?" Professor Horsewood asked, without really asking.  
"Yes, they're not paying attention anyway. No one ever pays attention to anything I say", Mr. Binns said, without turning around.  
"The Earthquake happened!" Charles said, a little too loud.  
They followed her to her office, she closed the door and placed several anti-eavesdropping wards around the room and door.  
The four of them stood there until she finished, the seats already taken up by a Hufflepuff girl Felix recognised as Ethel and an older boy who he knew was Angel Yang, Emerick's older second cousin, once removed.  
Angel had the beginnings of a moustache, slanted eyes and black, short, straight hair and was taller than either of them.  
"Good, now that you're all here", Professor Horsewood sat on the velvet blue chair behind her desk.  
"What I am about to say to you six can get me fired or worse, but we live in interesting times and one has to stand somewhere or stand for nothing. You can never be too sure who's listening anymore so, now that we have that covered. A timely notification last year from Mr. Burton helped evacuate some of the Ministry before Azrail decided to play demolition. Now, that Ministries and magical governments across the world have been reduced to rubble and until they are back up and running, we need…locations and places to help hide Aurors and officials who otherwise face death at the hands of Azrail's gang of murderers. Hogwarts is going to be one of those places. There is, of course a catch. No one outside of this room, and I mean no one not even family members or lawyers can know about what I am telling you. If you're caught aiding an Auror, you're on your own and I know nothing, nor can I help you. You six are here because amongst the students of Hogwarts you possess two things. One you have done something to earn my trust and two you possess traits that I believe will aid us all in helping those in need, even if these traits have, in the past, earned you my ire", She said, looking at them but especially at Angel. "If one of you does not want to be a part of this, leave and you won't be punished in any way, all I'll ask is…don't snitch us."  
"Surely the Headmistress would not mind?" Charles asked first after a moment of silence.  
"The Headmistress would not mind, but she has to obey the whims of the board of Governors and right now I'm not sure how they would view this", Horsewood replied him.  
"We can use the room of requirement. How do we get them inside the castle, though, without anyone noticing?" Felix asked. "Or get them food and water?"  
"Leave it to me, I have had so much detention done in the kitchens I can help with that", Angel said.  
"I can't know any more of this", Horsewood said, standing up and walking to the door. She removed the protective spells and opened it. "And don't le me catch import fanged frisbees again in Hogwarts or detention will be the least of your worries, am I understood?" She said aloud. "You may all leave, now."  
"What's the room of requirement?" Asked Ethel, down the corridor.  
"What'll help us keep the remnant Aurors safe. Follow me", Felix said, heading to the Grand Staircase.  
They walked to the seventh-floor corridor.  
"What do we need it to have?" He asked the other five.  
"How many people are we even talking about?" Claudia asked first.  
"I dunno, but I'd imagine way more than a handful", Angel replied. "I'm good at pranks, not math."  
"And dueling, you are the first non-seventh-year to win the Hogwarts Dueling Cup in ages", Felix said.  
"Dueling requires…hatred, according to Professor Jordan. I prefer to prank my opponents. Seems to be working so far", Angel replied.  
"You're being modest, you were brilliant last year!" Emerick beamed.  
"Thanks, cuz. And yeah girls like a bit of modesty", Angel cracked a sly smile.  
"Boys…we're veering off subject here!" Claudia feigned exasperation.  
"Right, so…Lodgings for some few dozen people, toilets too, can't have them going outside of this room for any reason. Anything else?" Felix went on.  
"Some are bound to need medical attention, and not something Episkey or Wiggenweld potion can fix I'm guessing", Charles said.  
"I don't think we can ask the school's Nurse", Angel stated.  
"I know just the person, Seventh-year who owes me...a favour. He is the best healer-oriented person I know of in this school, other than the Nurse", Ethel replied with a smirk.  
"Can he be trusted? Horsewood said tell no one else", Claudia raised an eyebrow.  
"He won't be a problem, you can trust him. And if any one of you can heal removed bones from someone's arms better than the person I have in mind, I'm open to suggestions", Ethel replied.  
"Angel. I don't think a contact made in detention can feed so many people", Felix said.  
"Oh, ye have a little faith, my math may be horrible, but my persuasion skillz are not. I can feed the whole of Hogwarts, the Ministry and you, given enough warning ahead of time", Angel grinned.  
"Uhh…okay. So, beds, bathrooms with showers, internal infirmary, tables and chairs so they can eat…anything else?" Felix asked them.  
"They are going to be bored to death all alone in one room for what may be weeks if not months, give them some books to read or something", Charles added.  
"Right, also how do we get them here? From what I know apparition is not possible within Hogwarts and grounds", Felix scratched his forehead.  
"You can in Hogsmeade's outskirts, though!" Ethel said.  
"And from there to here? I don't imagine students and professors alike will ignore a procession of Aurors, injured ones included, going from the train platform to the seventh-floor corridor", Claudia said.  
"Leave it to me. I know of some secret passages to and from the castle, some of which lead to various places in Hogsmeade", Ethel grinned wide.  
"You're a resourceful one, ain't ya?" Angel said.  
"Sorting Hat was going to place me in fucking Slytherin of all places. So, I told it if it did, I'd learn fiendfyre just, so I could incinerate it", Ethel grinned wider yet, batting her eyelashes.  
"Okay, let's do this!" Felix closed his eyes picturing in his mind everything he needed of the room. A few moments later the dead-end in front of them opened up.  
They entered the room, after him. The room seemed bigger than when they had used it last year to gather evidence on Cillian controlling the Headmistress. On one end it had one hundred beds next to a bench with medical and magical medical equipment and potions, next to that area there was a library furniture with several books, two tables with chairs and a third one with wizard's chest and next to the recreation area there was a small kitchen and a portion of the room had been closed off with a WC written on the door. While all other areas were well lit by chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and torches on the walls, when Felix walked to the beds-portion of the room, the light was significantly dimmer and when he lay on one of the beds, he could only see darkness around and all sounds were muffled and far away.  
"Wicked!" Ethel, Angel and Charles exclaimed simultaneously.  
"Professor Horsewood did not mention when they'll start arriving, though", Felix said standing up from the bed.  
"Well, first visit to Hogsmeade for the year is weekend next. So, I'd imagine then", Angel mentioned.  
"Makes sense", Emerick said, inspecting the kitchen portion of the room.  
"Unfortunately, I'll miss it", Claudia hang her shoulders. "We have intensified training with the Gryffindor Quidditch team for our first game of the year, and apparently I'm "integral" in captain's plans so I can't miss training."  
"I have to train for dueling cup and I'm carrying over detention in the kitchens until Christmas."  
"Dear Lords, what did you do? Piss on someone's grave?" Felix chocked at the amount of detention.  
"Weelllllll…sort of!" Angel did not seem as shocked. "I threw a bucket of toilet water through Peeves, in the Grand Staircase. How was I to know that Professor Horsewood was on the floor below? Or that the water would land on her head, with her newly bought hat? Or that Peeves would thereafter decide to spell-undress everyone in the Grand Staircase because he only intended to undress me, but misjudged the power he put into it? That happened during the first month of my first year. It was gloriously nasty."  
"Mah hero!" Felix, Ethel, Charles and Emerick shouted simultaneously.  
"Parents didn't find it funny, Yoshi did, though. He's okay for a younger brother. Is there any stock to the rumours you lot are responsible for that dungbomb prank last year, in Slytherin table? During end-of-year feast no less?" He asked them, half-grinning.  
Charles grinned wide, Claudia rolled her eyes but couldn't stop herself from also cracking a smirk and Emerick laughed aloud.  
"Maybe", Felix tried to play it cool.  
"And you sat there, knowing what's coming? Why?" Angel turned his head to see him.  
"End-of-year feast, couldn't sit anywhere else for one thing and for the bliss of ridiculing Slytherins outweighed the smell…not by much but it did!"  
"Savage. I like it", Angel shook his hand.  
"Thanks, it was a collective effort. An atonement of sorts for all the points I've unwillingly given them."  
"Do you like dueling?" Angel asked him.  
"Sure, I guess so…more than flying less than chest."  
"I didn't know you play chest!" Charles exclaimed.  
"I tried joining the chest club during our first year, but I think between my family name and the fact I just bested them all in the joining trial and it didn't happen. So, no I don't play in Hogwarts, I do like it a lot though", Felix shrugged his shoulders.  
"Dueling can be a lot like chest, but there's only two of you in the board. I could teach you a spell or two, if you like", Angel said.  
"Sure!" Claudia and Charles exclaimed before Felix could.  
"Sure, sounds fun. Shoot I have to go, first divination class will start soon, History of Magic finishes any moment now", Felix replied.  
"I don't understand why you'd like or want to get Divination." Claudia furrowed her eyebrows.  
"I like Professor Ixion." He shrugged.  
"Fair enough…I guess."  
"Yeah, I better go as well, Professor Jordan does not like people who are late."  
They exited the room of requirement, walking to their individual classrooms.  
Felix and Charles were the closest to their classroom, heading to the Astronomy and Divination tower nearby.  
Professor Ixion sat on the center of the astronomy classroom.  
"Take your seats, I see some interesting faces, indeed. As you will have undoubtedly noticed, and one amongst you will note aloud we are not in the Divination classroom used in Hogwarts."  
A Ravenclaw girl made her observation, matter-of-factly. "Well, ma'am you are you are a Centauress, the usual classroom's height is meant for shorter humans."  
"Right on cue. Indeed Mrs. Jackson, and what Divination would be if we severed it from the celestial bodies and the night sky a farseer can read? It so happens that farseer would be human. Humans use less the night sky and its clear meanings for more…Earthly means. Today you will take notes on one such method and in a future lesson you will experiment with it practically.  
"There is a family of plants growing natively in most places of the world called Fabaceae. This plant family includes the legumes and types of peas we eat, but take its nectar, mix it with the crushed and then boiled roots and sprinkle it with the rotting pedals and it creates a potent mixture, to wizardfolk and creatures of magic as Farseers are that can reveal the past, present and future in clear detail." Professor Ixion's voice was calm and leveled but unlike Mr. Binns she knew how, when and where to insert peaks and valleys as well as emotion to keep the students' interest on her. Felix found her voice peculiarly melodical and hypnotic.  
"There is one cardinal rule in farseeing. It matters not the skill of the seer or her or his number of legs, nothing is edged on stone. To that affect it is recorded in both centaur memory and Human Historical archives that oracles of yore, Centaur and Human alike, would record their prophesies, and sight not unto stone and marble but unto pottery fragments, silk threads and even leaves of Daphne, maple or whichever tree was considered holy in a seer's culture. And they would do this whilst inhaling sulfuric fumes from the bowels of the Earth, if those could be found."  
The same Ravenclaw girl's hand shot up in the air. Professor Ixion gave her a nod with her head, an indication she could ask her question.  
"Why do that, ma'am?"  
"Oracles of old could witness the past, present and future and understood one very important lesson their modern counterparts seem to neglect. The future is malleable, and not edged in stone. Understanding the past can improve or worsen the future and bringing a prophesy to fruition can improve or worsen the past and present. The more visions they saw the more accurate a prophesy would become." The Centauress explained.  
"Leaves, ma'am? Would anyone gain knowledge from reading them Professor?" Felix's interest seemed peaked.  
Ixion turned her head to view him. "Questions like his brother, but thinks like himself What are you thinking, Questioner?" Her eyes fixed on his.  
"The Book of Leaves, ma'am, is it made from those Leaves the Oracles wrote their prophecies on?" He tried to match her vagueness, in vain.  
"You make the same mistake as him. What if this book increased not the amount of the reader's knowledge? What if, indeed, it is not even a book? An item that is not an item?" She replied, her lips barely moving yet her voice carried throughout the classroom.  
"What if with all due respect ma'am, you once gave a straight answer?" Her trance-like attention broke from Felix's to the owner of the question.  
"Ah, but then Mr. Blake, then I'd not be a stargazer. It itself was not a straightforward question." She replied with mild irritation, as having to state something she thought as obvious, her tail flicking left and right.  
"I will now tell you the proper dose and measurements to create the seer's draught. The clouds are too ominous tonight for experimentation, anyway." She continued her lesson.  
"Honestly, she's worse than me mum!" Charles told Felix, after the lesson's end, they were descending the Astronomy tower's stairs.  
"She's…interesting. What I wonder is, how can an item not be an item? Seems to me it either is an item or it's not, no?" Felix pondered.  
"I dunno mate, but we better…" Charles had started on his reply when screams from a lower floor's landing echoed through the Grand Staircase.  
"Now, what?" Felix looked below, on the moving stairs, as Charles shrugged. They followed the screams to the fourth-floor landing.  
"Oh, god…" There before them and the owner girls of the screams stood a first-year Slytherin boy, completely petrified, crouched with his hands above his head, as if to protect him from a blow. Near him, discarded, lay a stone hand holding an eye of sorts, it looked human yet strangely reptilian. Behind the statue of the boy a message was written in blood. "STOP PURE BLOODS!"  
"Is that…human blood?" Charles asked, as afraid as the second-year girls.  
Felix parted the girls, walking up to the wall. "No, see? A slain chicken behind his leg, someone must have brought it here and…well…"  
One of the second-year girls made to pick up the stone hand holding the peculiar eye.  
"No! Don't touch that! That's a Gorgon's eye holder. It's not like a Basilisk's stare. No mandragora potion will revive you if you meet the eye's gaze. Don't look at it!" Felix removed the top of his robes, remaining in his shirt underneath it and dropped it on top of the gorgon eye holder.  
"You, second-year." Charles told one of the girls. "Go fetch Professors Jordan and Horsewood…probably the Headmistress as well." The girl needed no second invitation to leave.  
Felix motioned the others to step back.  
"This is all very mature of us, don't you think cuz?" Charles managed a straight face.  
"Astonishingly much", Felix replied trying not to laugh in the face of tragedy.  
"Is there nothing that can undo the petrification?" Charles asked, more seriously.  
Felix shook his head. "Nothing as far as I know. He will remain a statue forever. It is why Gorgons were exterminated in antiquity, they were way too hostile and their gaze lethal."  
"I wish I knew this stuff", Charles said.  
"I don't even remember how I know this stuff…"  
Professors Jordan and Horsewood arrived, walking as fast as they could, while the second-year girl ran.  
"Mrs. Bell please take this note to the Headmistress while I escort Mr. Everbloom to the Hospital Wing. Mr. Blake and Mr. Burton, please go to your classes, ten points each for being mature and safeguarding other students from certain and inevitable death." Horsewood told them, while Professor Jordan secured the Gorgon's eye holder, giving Felix his top robes back.  
"Wait what! I'm not a suspect?" Felix couldn't help himself voicing his astonishment.  
"Would you like to be? Perhaps I should give you detention…oh, look they left running." Horsewood constrained a smirk.  
She looked at the petrified boy. "Poor boy…so young…" She flicked her wand, levitating him and started walking.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A growing threat

Charles and Felix headed back up to the seventh floor and the Arithmancy classroom, where Emerick and Claudia were.  
They waited outside the classroom, their hands crossed in front of their torso, their feet tapping speedily at the granite tiles.  
Ten minutes later, eternity for the two boys, their friends exited the classroom.  
"Yeah, so Ymagor's principle has to be counted in the equation formula, no?" Emerick questioned Claudia.  
"It has to yes, but in parenthesis, or the equation produces numerologically inaccurate results", she replied him.  
"My head hurts now", Charles joked.  
"You should see our homework, and it's only the first lesson!" Emerick whined.  
"What's up? You two look ready to dig holes in the floor", Claudia said, placing her backpack on her left shoulder.  
"There was an attack, here in the school!" Charles blurted out before Felix could even open his mouth.  
"Attack? We're not…no wait everything's too calm for Azrail to be invading Hogwarts…" Emerick's voice trailed.  
"Azrail is not involved in this one…as far as I know. Someone attacked a student in the fourth-floor landing, in the Grand Staircase", Felix explained. "I don't know by who, but a Gorgon's eye holder was found by the side of the dead student."  
"Who? " Claudia asked.  
"First year Slytherin boy." Felix answered.  
"Gorgon's eye holder? Those things are illegal and with gorgon's eradicated two thousand years ago or more, extremely rare!" Emerick said. "Wait," He continued, his smile vanishing. "Gorgon's eye Holder? That means…dead?"  
"Deader than dead, and someone had written "STOP PUREBLOODS" on the wall behind him with chicken blood", Felix said.  
"Deader than roadkill." Charles added.  
"Cazzo bastardo!" Claudia slapped her hands on her waist.  
"That's horrible. I hope they find out who did it, fast." Emerick said, pushing back his dark blond hair.  
"Yeah, how about the other thing? Is everything ready? Hogsmeade first visit's not two days away!" Charles asked, excitement obvious in his voice.  
"Angel and Ethel say they have things ready on their end. But we shouldn't talk about this here", Felix replied him. "We don't know who's listening."  
"Right, known spot after lunch?" Charles asked. Felix nodded.  
The school was abuzz with the news of the attack, and its circumstances for the rest of the day, with Professors having to resort to raising their voice and clapping their hands to regain the students' attention from the gossiping of what had happened.  
During dinner Professor Adams rose to her feet, clinging her fork on her wine glass. The room fell silent.  
"As you all, no doubt, know by now a student was attacked and murdered earlier today. The culprit or culprits will be found and punished most severely. I understand there's feelings of anger and rage stemming from the summer's devastation of the Magical governments in Britain and the world, but I will caution we remain calm and dedicated to the purpose of this school, educating you all, not to share the world's angsts. She said and sat down.  
"What? That's it?" Claudia whispered to her friends.  
"She's supposed to be amongst the greatest witches of our time…." Emerick started saying but Felix cut him off.  
"Screw that, she's supposed to be the Headmistress not a friend or mother." He said a little too loud. "Where's the brimstone and hellfire?"  
"Yes, Mr. Burton. Something the matter?" Professor Adams asked him, loudly, standing up again.  
Felix looked at Claudia and Charles who shrugged.  
"Yes, ma'am. A first-year is dead, murdered. I'd have thought you'd be more…fierce." He sat back down.  
"Make no mistake, when the culprit behind this murder is caught, they will be expelled and when our Magical Government is reinstated, they will be trialed and sent to Azkaban. Until then it is not my role as Headmistress to increase…passions amongst the students. It is to keep the school functioning and try and maintain calmness amongst the pupils. If this administration decision which is not yours to make, does not meet with your approval, Mr. Burton, I am afraid it is entirely your problem. That'll be all." She sat back down, resuming her dinner.  
Claudia placed a hand on his shoulder, seeing him ready to stand, shaking her head.  
Felix ate his food, throwing daggers with his eyes, at the Headmistress who seemed oblivious to them.  
Two days later they stood in Hogwarts' platform, waiting to board the Hogwarts express for the short trip to Hogsmeade. Angel along with Claudia who could not go, would welcome the Aurors back in Hogwarts. Angel was going to have the food ready and delivered to the room of requirement, and Claudia would take them from the secret passage of the sixth floor connecting to an abandoned building in Hogsmeade.  
They boarded the train and fifteen minutes to an hour later they were disembarking on Hogsmeade's platform.  
"Oh man! Oh man! Look at this! This place is gorgeous!" Charles exclaimed, running at the nearest shop's glass front, a place with Quidditch supplies. The red-bricked buildings with the trigonal tiled roofs looked cozy, comfy and old, with smoke rising out of their chimneys, and various decorations hanging from the glazed windows.  
They set about walking the commercial street with the shops, the famous Zonko's joke shop and the three broomsticks inn catering the students with glasses of warm, tepid and cold butterbeer.  
"You know we're being followed, yes?" Ethel asked him, in Zonko's. She stood as close to him as she could, whispering to his ear.  
Felix nodded. "Slytherin Seventh-years, not nearly as…discreet as they think they are. They will follow me, Charles and Emerick. Think you can slip out unnoticed and go receive our…guests?" He whispered back, picking up an item from a shelf, as it to look at it.  
"With my eyes blindfolded and my hands tied behind my back." She replied and feigning interest in an object she shifted to her right leg and mingled with the others in the store. Felix cracked a smirk and in a swift motion walked to the other side of the store, taking the Slytherins' attention with him, away from the door.  
Twenty minutes later the three boys sat in the three broomsticks inn, in a round table made out of a large barrel with a circular straight surface on top and several benches and chairs, all made out of wood, around it. Torches and fireplaces lit the high ceiling, two storied building. The waitress clad in a yellow and red dress, with a mop of blue hair falling all over her face brought them their butterbeers.  
"Engorgio!" Felix pointed his wand at his beverage and the tall glass became twice as big. "Nice." He laughed, paid the waitress and grabbed the glass with both hands.  
Emerick and Charles followed his lead, enlarging their butterbeers. "This is so cush!" Charles beamed, gulping down a generous portion of it.  
Ethel found them on their third, enlarged, butterbeer.  
"I hear we might see the Aurora borealis at Hogwarts, tonight", she told them sitting down.  
"Oh, yeah true!" Felix said, smiling. "I didn't pay attention to the weather report, any storms or clouds on the night sky?"  
"Nah all's clear, as required and now in a room full of beer!" She said shrugging. This speaking in code thing was not her forte.  
Felix ordered a fourth butterbeer, when the waitress dropped it off, he took hold of it, turned around and raised it to the Slytherins across the room, pretending not to be following them. He winked at them and turned back to his friends. They brought their glasses together and started laughing.  
"I bought some wicked stuff from Zonko's…not sure it's all allowed in Hogwarts, but okay, people are getting attacked now, no one's gonna mind a fanged frisbee or two." Charles said with a white frothy moustache of whipped cream.  
"Nice moustache." Felix teased him.  
"Look who's talking! You have a beard as well."  
"I do not!"  
"Give up mate, you do." Emerick laughed.  
"Well at least we're boys, future men! Ethel, what's your excuse?" Charles asked their new friend.  
"I need none. I'm fabulous and I can sport a butterbeer moustache." She replied drinking some more of it.  
The four of them enjoyed their butterbeers by the large fireplace, soaking in the warmth and mirth until it was time to return to Hogwarts.  
Back in Hogwarts Claudia was waiting for them in the Great Hall, freshly showered with her hair still wet. Hogsmeade day meant students could and would dress in their casual clothes, instead of their school robes. It was something different seeing people in their every day attires rather than the same black robes with skirts or pants.  
"Angel's still practicing outside, the guests are all settled in, enjoying the warmth and food, but we're going to have a serious problem in the future. We are going to need a much larger supply of Polyjuice potion, and while this time I managed to…acquire some from the Potions ingredients cupboard, I don't think I will be able to many times in the future. Professor Turney is bound to understand what's going on, sooner or later."  
"Leave it to me. Just give me a list of ingredients you need, and how much of each."  
"You don't know the ingredients to Polyjuice potion?" Claudia asked.  
"No, it's a NEWTs level potion, that's year six stuff, why you do?" Ethel asked back.  
"Well, yeah obviously, I made the damn thing for today", Claudia replied.  
"Kudos. Anyway, give me the list and I'll get you the stuff." Ethel shrugged.  
"I'm talking about some kilos of stuff…for each ingredient, how are you going to even pay for the stuff? Or find it!"  
"I won't pay for it, but I can find it."  
"Give me the bill, I'll send a letter to Mr. McCormack, and I'll ask Professor Horsewood mail him as well and explain."  
"You can pay that kind of galleon sum?" Ethel asked, astonished.  
Felix chuckled, and left for the Hufflepuff common room.

"Felix!" It was a week later, and Felix was walking to his next class of transfiguration along with Ethel, Charles, Emerick and Claudia.  
Felix turned to a head punch, catching him on his left side right on his jaw. Charles' reaction was almost instantaneous, getting between Felix and his assailant, a third-year Gryffindor boy with long crimson hair while Claudia pushed the boy back Ethel got her wand out immobilizing him with the incarcerous spell.  
Other Hufflepuffs that happened to be around closed ranks around Felix who regardless of his past, was now one of them. A fourth-year Hufflepuff boy left, returning with Professor Willows.  
"Twenty points from Gryffindor and two months detention, Mr. Firestone. Have fun polishing all of the castle's silver two afternoons a week", Professor Willows told the bound Gryffindor boy, before releasing him from the spell's clutch. The boy left looking angry.  
"Professor Horsewood?" A Hufflepuff girl asked the boy who had fetched the Professor.  
"There was another attack, she's...preoccupied", Professor Willows answered instead. "A fifth-year Ravenclaw lost an arm to a Hufflepuff sixth year."  
"Was he punished? Expelled?" Claudia asked.  
"It is my belief Professor Horsewood would very much have liked to have expelled her, but for now at least she gets her orders from others, just like the Headmistress does."  
"Why is this happening?" Charles looked sad.  
"The Hufflepuff girl's father died in the Ministry's destruction last year. Ravenclaw's parents are…were in Cillian's army, they are also dead", The Hufflepuff girl replied him.  
"Where does this mess even stop? Wizarding community and Hogwarts are tearing ourselves apart with this bullshit…sorry Professor." Professor Willows hid a smirk but said nothing.  
"Don't they understand? This is exactly what Azrail wants. For us to fight each other instead of him." Felix exasperated.  
"Everyone's afraid and angry, there's even a "black market" appearing for medallions and talismans that are supposed to protect people from the Archangel of death and his reapers…" A Ravenclaw fifth-year said.  
"Oh, for the…we're in the twentieth second century people!" Claudia threw her arms up in the air, frustrated.  
They left for their transfiguration class.  
"Do you think Azrail has something to do with this?" Charles asked Felix.  
"It seems to be non-pureblood people being angry and scared…I don't think so."  
"He hasn't even shown his face in public since the summer", Claudia re-arranged the backpack on her shoulders, holding some books in her one hand so she could scratch her face with her left hand. "I don't know if he cares about a bunch of kids in Hogwarts hurting each other. Azrail hasn't shown any interest in "blood" so far. That was Cillian."  
"What bothers me is we have no clue what he's after since he now has all that he wants. Father's dead, Ministry's destroyed, and he has the Book of leaves."  
"He doesn't have everything he wants though, does he?" Claudia replied, worried.  
"Right...I yet live." Felix grumpyed.  
"Okay, that too. I meant why does he want the Book of Leaves? How did he even find out about it? And since when? It's strange, isn't it? One book no one in Wizarding History seems to even know about, and yet Azrail moves Earth, Heaven and Hell to acquire it. Why? And then there is more…"  
"There's more?" Charles sounded astonished.  
"You won't wear it?" Felix remembered. "Then he appears in a Dementor's black cloak. Sounds like they went to a lot of trouble to acquire whatever that thing is and Azrail wouldn't wear it, at least not before the final attack on the Ministries."  
"I don't imagine it being easy to kill off a Dementor…if it's even remotely possible. I mean I have searched since then and I have not found a single reference about anyone in the past managing to kill one or take their cloak. And I don't think he asked a Dementor "can you please give me your cloak, so I can look even more menacing when I destroy the Ministries in over one hundred and forty countries.?"" Claudia continued.  
"When has it ever been such a simple explanation with him?" Felix shrugged.  
"Don't we know more than we think we do?" Charles raised an eyebrow.  
"Like?" Felix looked at his cousin.  
"My mum prefers to take on more…uh normal patients but every once in a while, the Muggle authorities come and hire her expertise if and when a case becomes too…psychological in nature. And while she tries for us to not hear them I can…eavesdrop like a pro", Charles grinned. "Azrail gave information to a news reporter, knowing that your father would attack them, knowing that it would lead the Ministry to send forces to repel him, which would create a weakness in their defenses of the Ministry which allowed him to heist it and use the heist as a Trojan Horse for him to plant whatever in the Minister's own office so that a year later he could use it to destroy the whole building. You aren't born thinking like that. I heard mum once telling a copper on the phone, psychos start out usually from small animals during their teens and build up courage and experience to Human victims. The past year wasn't Azrail's first...hunt or scheme. We find out what, how and when he started out and we are likely to find out about how and where he learned of the Book of Leaves as well."  
"You're a fleeping genius!" Emerick exclaimed, making Charles blush. "I have my moments."  
"Point now is…do we even want to find out? I'm pretty sure it'll lead to us confronting him…or worse", Felix replied.  
"Can't say I'm excited at the prospect of imminent death, but so far the Ministry failed to even take him seriously, so someone must stop him", Claudia replied fearlessly.  
"And while not all are in a great shape, we have Aurors around as well. Perhaps if we can find some info, they can use they can bring him down", Emerick added.  
"I…am not keen on that, no. Let the Aurors deal with him, why does it have to be us? We're kids, what does it matter how he found out? What does it matter?" Felix replied, entering the transfiguration classroom.  
Felix was returning to the Hufflepuff common room when Alfred found him.  
"Al, my man! How are you? I haven't seen you much since the start of the year, everything okay?"  
"Can we talk?" The younger boy looked concerned.  
"Sure, want me to get…"  
"No! Can we just talk…please?"  
"Sure, let's go to the Great Hall, dinner should start soon." Felix passed a hand over Alfred's shoulders and they headed to the Great Hall.  
"What's up?" He asked his cousin, after they took a seat in the Gryffindor table.  
"I miss Will…we were inseparable…and mum…", the boy said hanging his head.  
"You correspond via letters, yeah?"  
"Ya, but it's not the same. And I don't see Charles much either what with me being in a different House and year and all."  
"I'm sure Will is missing you too, but he'll start Hogwarts in a couple of years as well."  
"That's such a long time, though…"  
"Not all that long, besides! Think of all the cool stuff you'll know when he starts." Felix smiled.  
"Oh yeah! Want me to show you what I've learned so far?" Alfred cracked a mischievous grin.  
"How about you tell me instead? Let us not get detention or House points removed, yeah?"  
"Oh, yeah right, no magic outside of class." Alfred giggled and proceeded telling him of all the stuff he'd learned so far.  
"That's way cool indeed cuz! And it's only the first couple of months yet." Just then Claudia, Charles and Emerick walked in the Great Hall.  
"Wanna come and eat dinner with us?" Felix asked Alfred.  
"Sure! My friends will be so jealous when they see me with Claudia Russo and Felix. You're like the coolest girl and boy in school!" Alfred's grin could have easily been used for a mouthwash advertisement, displaying perfect white teeth, gleaming with glee.  
"Hey!" Charles and Emerick faked annoyance.  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You two are cool as well." Felix poked his tongue at his friends.  
"By the way…what is this new clusterfuck with the attacks?" Alfred asked, making Charles chock on his saliva.  
"Oy! I'll tell mum. Watch your language!"  
"PPpppffff! English! And you swore at my age as well! I have holocordings of it!" Alfred blew raspberries at his brother.  
"Whhhaaa! Where?!"  
"In the cloud, nice and safe." Alfred cracked a sly grin.  
Charles grumbled, crossing his hands in front of his chest.  
"Cha-cha, you…we are not going to be attacked, are we?" Alfred asked next, more serious.  
"Nah, no one in this group is a pure blood, and Ethel and Angel are way too anti-pure blood bullshit to get included in that shit."  
"No worries, Al. I'll keep him safe." Felix hugged a hand around each of his two cousins, with Claudia snapping a pic of them three with her holophone.  
"Okay!" Alfred leaned in for the photo, grinning.  
"Who do we think is behind these attacks?" Claudia continued the conversation as dinner was served.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Fork

The four friends and Ethel sat in the back rows of History of Magic classroom's desks, their favourite spot in their favourite class to gossip and chat.  
"She keeps threatening to expel people, but so far she's done nothing to deal with the problem and we've had three more attacks and one more death…and it's only early November!" Felix exclaimed.  
"Well, she needs to catch someone to expel them, but yeah, I can't understand why she won't do more either. At the very least she could increase security or something." Emerick shrugged.  
"I can't understand it either", Ethel whispered. "By their standards I'm also a Pure-Blood and likely to get attacked."  
"You wouldn't be, you're too nice!" Charles warped his eyes.  
"We're kids! I knew the Slytherin boy who died last night, he was a second-year, blue eyes full of joy and crimson hair that wanted you to fluff them up and so red that made you believe they were literally aflame. He had done nothing to no one, and for one his parents were not involved in Cillian's affairs. His father owned a shop in Diagon Alley and his mother was in the Ministry. He was ambitious as all Slytherins are and a real sweat boy. He didn't deserve to die by being turned in ash by being burned alive. Can you imagine how painful that must be?" Ethel teared up.  
"The first victim of war is truth", Claudia whispered. "The second is empathy, then people start to die."  
"We should somehow form a defensive coalition", Emerick said.  
"How? We don't even know who has joined "them""  
"I have an idea…and no defensive coalition against a group we don't know who has joined is a bad idea, we'd end up doing more harm than good. Are the Aurors safe?" He asked Ethel.  
"Yeah, we have something like…fifty people now", she nodded.  
"Fifty!" Charles exclaimed.  
"That was only the second batch of people, they arrived yesternight in Hogsmeade and we used the cover of Darkness and my…contact in Zonko's, well ok Zonko who loves how much stuff I purchase off him, to get them to the secret passage to the sixth floor and to the room of requirement from there", Ethel elaborated.  
"Anyone see you?" Felix inquired.  
"Not in Hogsmeade I don't think so, and we use Polyjuice potion in Hogwarts."  
"This has been too easy…so far." Just then class ended, with Professor Binns' ghost falling asleep, barely after letting them go.  
They gathered their things exiting the classroom.  
"Jinx!" Charles grinned at Emerick.  
"I am not!" Emerick complained, making them laugh. "It wasn't my fault! How was I to know that speaking louder than a fricking whisper in that secret passage connecting the Village to the sixth flor would make it collapse?"  
"Right after you said back in Hogsmeade "How nice it is we have that secret passage to the sixth floor. Right!" Charles laughed.  
They were now in the corridor. "Who's that?" Ethel pointed behind them, to a man in a black suit, top hat and blue tinted sunglasses, he was tall, with brown short hair and scrawny yet muscled body.  
"Frederick Joymother, Head of the board of Governors and close ally of father's…", Felix replied with disdain.  
Joymother passed by them, giving them a crooked smirk.  
"Let's go, this can't be good." Felix walked after him.  
They followed him to the Headmistress' office entrance, there both Headmistress and Deputy Headmistress waited for him.  
"Adams', Horsewood." He said without respect.  
"Professor Horsewood to you, or ma'am. Always." She replied with similar loss of respect towards him and an emotionless face.  
"Not a small kid anymore, Horsewood", He replied.  
"I am certain that is a matter of some debate. Can we help you? Somehow? I am sure we can speed up your departure from these sacred halls." Professor Horsewood skewed her nose, a smidge of emotion from what she hid beneath the surface.  
"What is being done to deal with these heinous attacks against our students?" Joymother asked, his cheekbones and fists clenching.  
"My students, not yours." Horsewood fired back.  
"We're doing all that we can," the Headmistress replied.  
"It is, clearly, not enough. I would urge you catch those responsible, lest we forfeit your job to someone who can, of our choosing", Joymother replied her.  
"Is that all?" The Headmistress replied, annoyed.  
"Just one more thing, unimportant really. Is there any stock to the rumours flying around, Hogwarts's being used to aid Ministerial Aurors? I would hope not."  
"I have no idea of what you're talking about. You would do well not to get your information from the Quibbler or the Daily Prophet, when it comes to Hogwarts. Good day." She entered her office.  
Joymother tipped his top hat at Horsewood, with an arrogant smirk and left.  
Horsewood looked around, her eyes locking with Felix's for but a moment, then she started walking towards the stairs, in a slow pace.  
"Go find Angel, we're in trouble." Felix told Ethel who nodded and left.  
Half an hour later all six of them sat in Horsewood's office.  
"You all need to be more careful with our…guests. You need to enact better anti-detention protocols and spells", she told them, worried.  
"I can help with that", Angel said.  
"I know Mr. Yang, I know. This was a close call, let us not have a repeat. You may go now."  
"Ma'am, can I stay behind a moment? I have a question I need to ask you, about herbology", she nodded, and he stayed behind.  
"So, Mr. Burton. What have you to tell me? I do not believe it has anything to do with Herbology", and so he told her, they spoke for an hour and Professor Jordan joined them for a portion of the discussion.  
The others had homework in the library to finish before going to the room of requirement. "What's the password?" Ethel asked, good with remembering passwords she was not.  
"Kneazle poop" Charles grinned.  
"Who comes up with these passwords? They are funny!" Ethel pointed out, entering the room.  
"Who else? Either me or Felix."  
"Oh, of course! Charles the funny one!" Charles blushed. Felix arrived some ten minutes later, looking as if he was trying to remember something.  
"And are you sure of this, Mr. Burton?" Professor Jordan asked him, getting his wand out.  
"Yes, can you think of an other way to deal with the problem?" Professor Jordan shook his head, looking at Professor Horsewood, who nodded her agreement.  
"The Sorting Hat, it should have placed you at Gryffindor." Ives told him, pointing his wand at him.  
"I need to teach you all some more advanced anti-detection spells and stuff and we need to tell the Aurors to be more careful as to where in Hogsmeade they apparate in", Angel told them.  
Most of the Aurors in the room of requirement were either asleep or eating.  
"Mr. Asmund Kiserian", Felix greeted one of the two Aurors leading the Hogwarts group. A light chocolate skin man with short frizzled hair which made him look ferocious with his heavily muscled body apparent under his purple robes and green pants, matching his purple lips and deep green eyes.  
"Mr. Burton, our contact in Hogsmeade tells me we be receiving our final batch of Aurors in your next visit. Another thirty men and women", Asmund told him.  
"Thirty? The room's already packed full." Claudia remarked.  
"Indeed, but we have no choice, Cillian's forces now under the command of Azrail are scouring the land for us. They kill all they find without remorse, mercy, hesitation or question."  
"Is there nothing we…you can do about them?" Felix asked, feeling sick to his stomach.  
A woman with slanted, blue eyes and black hair caught on a ponytail approached them. "We are doing, we are using locations like Hogwarts to regroup, reorganize and create a cohesive force to strike at them."  
"How many of them are there?" Charles asked.  
"Not many, they've suffered heavy losses as well, maybe two thousand? Spread in all continents", Asoka Misogi, the woman replied.  
"Two thousand! That's not many?" Charles exclaimed, astonished.  
"Do you remember the battle of Tours last year? Then Cillian brought forth almost ten times that, against our combined Ministerial forces of five to six thousand. We vastly underestimated Cillian's youth. They were no mere eighteen-year old's no more. Nay, they were bloodthirsty, brainwashed, well trained killers. But we've learned since then. We find Imperialists? We are not kidding around anymore. If they are willing to hate us all enough to kill us the moment, they see us…then, so are we", Asmund told them.  
"Twenty thousand dead? That's sad", Charles replied.  
"That's war", Asmund shrugged.  
"To fight Azrail you have become him? Pleasant thought", Claudia said.  
"We do what we must, and so you can be in this school to judge us in peace", Asoka fired at Claudia.  
"Bullshit! It's your mentality and Azrail's that has created the APBm and is having students as young as eleven murdered. Azrail has already won!" Claudia pursed the fingers of her right hand waving it at the woman, with fierce eyes.  
"If we can all calm down, Misogi you were not in Tours, and before the fall you contained pixies for a living, leave the preaching to others. Young as she may be, Claudia is not wrong. We will not win by killing everyone, we will by understanding." A man with pale complexion, blond hair, amber eyes and an Irish ascent approached them.  
"Robert Fowler, ever the Philosopher. Understanding is a two-edged sword", Asmund told him.  
"As most things worth exploring are."  
"Truly a Hufflepuff answer."  
"Thank you for the compliment, and your feigned superiority and arrogance suit a Slytherin", they exchanged a quick bout of come-ups.  
"Claudia's right, if we end up fighting each other, Azrail's won."  
Asmund cracked a grin. "Naw, we've saved each other's lives more times than we care to remember, we are only teasing each other to pass the time…mostly."  
"Indeed, young Felix it is of great interest to me, how you can be so different than your siblings. There is an Auror who wishes to meet you." Robert motioned with his hand.  
"Me? Why?" Felix raised an eyebrow.  
"I'll let him tell his tale, he does not have long, and banter has already wasted precious moments."  
Robert walked them to the infirmary portion of the room where a good twenty men and women lay in beds recuperating from injuries or being made comfortable in their final moments.  
"D-Dreogan G-Gaunt", a man in his early twenties, barely above a teenager, lay in one of the beds, his head bandaged in a way that hid his left eye, the bandages bloodstained. His upper body, naked, displayed the many horrors of war, scars, wounds and the failed efforts to heal them and a missing right arm, with a black wound where the shoulder joint should have been. "They try to hide the truth…I know I haven't got long…your brother is searching for something…Sandra….tortured me, I heard things…everything together, combine…you need a seed to grow roots and leaves, water, the Eararach na Sionaiocht…to gain eternal...and a catalyst…shades…he will cast a shadow on us all…" He managed to say before becoming delirious.  
Felix wiped a tear from his cheek and took a few steps away from the infirmary beds. "You tried healing him and it's only making him worse, yes?"  
Robert raised an eyebrow. "Indeed, wiggenweld potion lost him his arm, and Episkey had him bleeding from his head?"  
"One of Azrail's spells…he is going to suffer and whatever you do, don't try to end his misery, don't, not with Avada Kedavra, not with any way. Azrail wants everyone to suffer, not just the person dying", Felix replied.  
"Then we should…", Asmund started saying, Felix cut him off.  
"Kill him and you'll have an Inferi to battle and Azrail will know we're hiding Aurors in Hogwarts. Don't and your friend will suffer what is going to be an excruciating death, and you will hear him scream and you will suffer with him. Do and Azrail'll know. He has you pinned down with a fork move and you can't evade it."  
"I hate your brother", Asmund relented.  
"Welcome to the club and get in what is, probably, a very long line."  
"How about the Ministry? Anything being done to rebuild it?" Charles asked, changing the subject.  
"Indeed", Robert did not elaborate further.  
"Good, and until then we'll need you and Angel to teach us stuff. How to better evade and hide the fact we're aiding Aurors in here. Joymother suspects, and he's head of the Board of Governors, and Azrail's ally", Felix told them.  
"That weasel!" Asmund cried. "I'd love to arrest him, but we've never had any clear evidence of criminal activity…"  
"Can you teach us, or…", Emerick started saying, but Robert cut him off.  
"So impatient, today's youth."  
"Yeah, because we weren't." Asmund made Felix snort a laughter.  
"When do you want us to start tutoring you fine lads and lasses?" Asmund asked them.  
"It's Thursday, we've got classes to go to, Saturday morning?" Claudia thought aloud.  
"We'll be here...not like we can go anywhere", Asmund shrugged.  
"What? You mean we can't even go out for a wee walk? Preposterous!" Robert proclaimed in mock surprise.  
"We've got to go now, be good wee lads, yeah?" Felix teased them.  
"From mighty Aurors, to the teasing stock of teenagers….our lives are just fucking awesome." Asmund flipped Felix the finger, laughing.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Ferryman's Vessel

They left for their classes, ten minutes later Felix and Charles sat in their seats in the Divination classroom. They looked at the handle-less teacups in front of them, one per student. Inside them a clear, rank brown liquid.  
"Last time you learned theory, and sky gazed. Today we will move on to some practice. Today you will drink, in front of each of you there's a divination cup. Inside it is a dose of what we learned last time. You will drink it one at a time. There's a range of possibilities as to the result, from toxic rejection to intense foresight." Professor Ixion told them. "Extremes are rare, but not unheard of. Worry not though, I have antidote for all common poisons if required. Now, Mrs. Blowhorn if you would start, please." She looked at the closest student to her. A Ravenclaw girl.  
Alicia Blowhorn eyed the tea cup suspiciously for a moment before submitting to the Centauress' intense gaze and gulping it down in one quick go. Her eyes widened for a few seconds before returning to normal.  
"What can you tell us about what you saw, Mrs. Blowhorn?" Professor Ixion asked the girl, who eyed the classroom nervously.  
"Uhm…I saw the past, ma'am. I was nine and well, we were at auntie Morgana's. Father was talking to uncle…well they were talking and their…uhhh their cousin did something horrible to the family dog, they were so upset, and it was jus so sad…", Alicia replied, looking down at the desk.  
"The past can tell us just as much as the future, what did this teach you?" Professor Ixion asked the girl, with the same piercing gaze.  
"I don't know…ma'am."  
"Food for thought, and your next class's homework. Next one", Professor Ixion turned her eyes to the next person.  
A Gryffindor boy with dark long hair and amber eyes drunk his cup, but nothing happened. He shrugged.  
"Not all can see beyond their eyes, nothing to be ashamed of."  
A Ravenclaw girl drunk her cup. Her eyes widened before returning to normal. "I saw an encounter with a Professor, ma'am. I don't recognize it, so it must be in the future!" She hesitated for but a moment. "He gave me house points!"  
Professor Ixion eyed her cautiously. "Lying to me won't earn you any favours, Mrs. Irina Hallow."  
"Well, okay…he took points from me…" Some people laughed.  
"So, what will you do now? Try to prevent the unwritten future, only to have it happen because you caused it? Succeed in altering what has been seen but not written? Ignore it?" The girl shifted uncomfortably in her seat.  
"How many possibilities are there, ma'am?" A different Gryffindor boy asked.  
"How many stars are there in the night sky?" Professor Ixion replied him without turning her head to him. "Next student."  
"Oh! My turn!" Charles exclaimed, gulping down his cup in one swift motion.  
"I…I'm walking through a murky black, watery veil…I can't go through it ever...I don't know for how long…now I'm talking to Felix who is there but is not there? I'm scared now…how does this stop?"  
Professor Ixion seemed shocked, yet she said nothing, and her face betrayed less. "Accept what is and move on." She turned her head to Felix. "Mr. Burton, if you would."  
Felix had already emptied the tea cup in front of him into his wooden cup. He downed it, twisting his lips and nose at the rank taste and smell of it.  
The classroom vanished beneath his feet and after a moment of blackness he was in a damp, dark room. A man, legless and handless lay on the moist floor with his back up against the cold granite wall.  
A moment later a door opened and Azrail walked in.  
"Hello, old man. Ready to talk? All your suffering can end if you would only tell me where what I seek is." He kneeled in front of the man. Felix felt his heart race, he wanted out of this room, away from Azrail's deathly scented breath, away from his lifeless eyes.  
"I know not where is, what you seek," the man laboured a reply.  
"No, then. Ernaline dear, do your thing, work your magic." Azrail left, and Ernaline leaning against the door entered the room, the door closing behind her.  
Felix felt a tug-like feeling and everything motion-blurred around him. He was again in the same dark, damp room.  
Azrail stood over the man. "You wear it now, yet you don't even understand anything about what it really is, do you, child? This "armour of the old gods" you so covet, like all others before you. You think it an item, don't you, child?"  
"I grow weary of our little talks, old man. Tell me where it is, or I'll let Sandra and Ernaline have at you. And I so enjoy the screaming." Azrail told the man with a smirk.  
"Last I saw it, it was in Acheron's necromancy Oracle."  
"I do like it when people lie to me. It allows me to be myself."  
"You gave permission to yourself when you caught your father raping your…" The man laughed but he was interrupted.  
"CRUCIO!" Azrail exploded, the smirk gone from his lips.  
"Ernaline…", Azrail left the room.  
Felix felt the tag again, as well as a different sort of tugging, someone else was trying to release him from the trance.  
"Where is it! TELL ME!" Azrail demanded, pacing up and down in the dark room. The man always lying on the floor with his back up against the wall.  
"Acheron's…"  
"I stole it from there! I stole it from there eleven years ago! I flew there as a raven and took it from the cold fingers of the guardians of the place, I was only in my third year of school and I had already tasted my first kills when I got there. My father stole it from me! Where is it now! My father stole it and the Book of Leaves the year after! Tell me or Ernaline gets to have yet more fun with the remnants of your soul!" Azrail tirade losing cohesion.  
"Where did you find my sister's protection?" The man ignored him.  
"The armour? In a museum in Athens, the Muggles thought it something different and the Wizards, obviously, had no idea what it truly was. Where is it?!"  
"And you think you understand what it truly is? I know not where it is." The man seemed calm, almost stoic despite his physical injuries.  
"You LIE! I know your kind can track where your creations are. Tell me!" Azrail demanded, wiping saliva from his chin, with his left hand.  
"No, you are not deserving of the Ferryman's vessel."  
"Ernaline, get it out of him. No sleep, no rest, no food or water for either of you until you do. I want it!" Azrail stormed out of the room, leaving behind a gleeful Ernaline.  
She begun torturing the old man for what seemed like hours.  
"Hogwarts! It's in a place called Hogwarts!" The old man screamed.  
Felix was jolted out of his trance.  
"Class dismissed." Professor Ixion ordered taking two steps closer to a heaving and sweating Felix. Everyone was looking scared at him.  
She eyed him carefully, seemingly not even looking at him, she then left the classroom.  
Charles grabbed him by his wrist, dragging him out.  
Two corridors and one flight of stairs down he stopped walking.  
"What happened? One moment I'm in the class the other…" Felix shivered.  
"Your voice got all weird and yeah you spoke like Azrail and whoever that other man is…", Charles told him.  
"So, I never left the classroom? Felt so real…and like hours passed…"  
"Mere ten minutes…you were mumbling a lot, we need to find the others."  
"Arithmancy, let's go."  
Professor Ixion having dismissed the class early, they had to wait outside the Arithmancy classroom for nigh twenty minutes.  
"Apparently seven can mean a lot of different…" Emerick was telling Claudia.  
"Yeah, fascinating. My brother's interrogating someone who seems to think that Ferryman's vessel whatever it is, is in Hogwarts", Felix interrupted him.  
"Wait, what?" Claudia and Emerick turned their heads to them.  
"How, when, what?"  
Charles showed them a holo-vid recording he had made with his holophone, of Felix entranced in the classroom, they could of course not see what he was seeing, but they could hear what he was saying.  
"Holy…", Emerick's voice trailed.  
"…Fuck!" Claudia completed his sentence.  
"I know right!" Charles finished it off.  
"That's the guy from last year, from Azrail's attack on that secret order", Claudia stated.  
"Oh, I keep forgetting to share information! I researched them, the Rosicrucians. They seem to be…were a secret order of Muggles and Wizards guarding and researching something about a river and collecting knowledge from both Muggle and Wizarding worlds on it", Emerick told them, remembering he had researched this last year, after that dream they had seen.  
"Well, they are no more, if Azrail is to be believed. And what on Earth is the "Ferryman's vessel"?" Felix received only shoulder shrugs from people.  
"Lovely, we don't even know what he's looking for, or why"  
"I thought you didn't want to search?" Claudia asked.  
"I want to know, I'm just afraid finding out will lead us out of Hogwarts and in a fight with him, and if Bwana farm has showed us anything is we use Flipendo and he uses Crucio or Avada…"  
"But…", Charles started saying.  
"Look if you want to go searching, I can't stop you, but I don't want to participate", Felix cut him off.  
"Fair enough. Who knows maybe the Aurors regroup, attack and defeat him this time", Claudia replied.  
"Doesn't sound like they intent to take prisoners this time around." Emerick added.  
"Defense against the dark arts next, let's go before someone hears us."  
That weekend they had their next Hogsmeade visit. They boarded the train and took up a compartment, the six of them.  
As the train begun moving, the black and grey smoke streaming above them, Anneke made to enter their compartment.  
"Hell no!" Claudia voiced aloud.  
Angel blocked her way. "If she stays, I'm leaving. I don't like the company she keeps, and I loathe Harold Nott and his lackeys."  
Felix felt her intense gaze on him. "I'm sorry, these are my friends…my family. I don't object to us being friends, but you need their approval first and I need to know what I did the first time around to anger you and make you as sad as you said I did, or I can't know what not to do again in the future. I lived walking on egg shells for eleven years. Never again", he said, meeting her eyes.  
She left without a word.  
Angel closed and locked the door behind him, placing some basic alert and anti-eavesdropping charms on the door and window.  
"The Aurors know some amazing and cool stuff." He told them. "Like who knew there was a jinx for making someone sneeze all the time? Or cause them convulsive diarrhea? Nice pranks for during dueling." Angel slumped down on one of the two seats.  
"I know right?" Charles pipped in. "I like the cheering charm, make people laugh or the one causing uncontrollable tickling sensation in one's feet."  
"How about stuff so that people can't see or hear us? We need to be able to move this batch of Aurors incoming today without getting detected" Felix asked them.  
"Sure, there's a potion which can make you invisible for a time, I can teach you that. There's silencio which mutes people and silencar which will mute any object from making sounds, like say…footsteps on a floor. Then there's Cave Inimicum which will notify you if anyone enters a certain location you have warded off, there's Confundo which may give you time to escape, as it confuses the other person. You can use Fumos to cover an area in a defensive black smoke screen which also makes others' vision limited…let's see, what else…Muffliato will cause peoples' ears to ring loudly so they can't hear what you're saying…Obscuro will blindfold someone so they can't see anything…I can go on!" Angel said, chuckling.  
"Oh, do go on", Felix cracked a smirk, taking notes.  
And so, Angel continued teaching them of new spells and their wand motion and incantation until an hour later they arrived in Hogsmeade.  
The six friends disembarked from Hogwarts express.  
"Let's first head to Zonko's", Angel said.  
"The jokes' shop? Why? I mean, I like jokes and pranks, but we have…you know guests?"  
"Ever seen a fanged frisbee in action?" Angel cracked a sly grin.  
"Ya, last year! There was a that Slytherin team prank, it was glorious!" Charles and Felix nodded fervently at Emerick's comment, grinning like fools.  
"It was…okay", Claudia agreed.  
"And an amazing distraction, it allowed me to duel a moron who thought could bully me into submission, without getting caught", Angel grinned wider.  
"Wait, what? You did it?" Felix and the others asked simultaneously.  
"At this point I can neither confirm or deny that I am behind the greatest prank of latest years, but I couldn't possibly not confirm or deny I was or wasn't!" Angel laughed.  
"Mah hero!" Felix and Charles grinned.  
"Wicked, cuz!" Emerick high-fived Angel.  
"So, yeah we want things from that shop. They can make a difference."  
"Oh my god, this everbashing boomerang is going to be great!" Charles exclaimed. "Of course, it's in Hogwarts' list of banned items. I wonder the size of mum's howler letter if I get caught with it." His lips twisting in a crafty smirk.  
"Look at this!" Felix exclaimed, "biting doorknobs, touch and get bit", he laughed.  
Having bought their fill of useless prank items and toys, at least useless in the eyes of unimaginative adults, they made their way down the road to the three broomsticks.  
"Wait, I thought you said your mum wasn't going to come to Hogsmeade?" Charles pointed outside of Honeydukes, Hogsmeade's candy shop, with his head.  
"I have no idea how she's here, or why." Felix shrugged his shoulders, seeing his mother waiting there for someone, obviously not him.  
"Mum? What are you doing here?" He walked up to her and asked her.  
She looked surprised to see them there, in her surprise she missed his choice of clothing attire. "Oh…eh…I'm to meet someone who can help me with…stuff. But it looks like I have a couple of hours free", she told him.  
Felix saw Harold, Ariana and Anneke approach from the other direction of the commercial street, he turned his head giving Angel and Ethel a nod. They nodded back and made their way behind the fir trees being prepared and decorated for Christmas, a month and more away.  
"oh, lookey here, dating you mother, Dre…Felix?" Harold Nott slurred him, his wand out. "Why can't I call you D…What the…"  
"Stop behaving like a mindless troll! You're embarrassing me!" Ariana scolded her father, pivoting around and leaving him behind. Anneke did not know what to do, follow Ariana or stay with Harold.  
"You'll pay for this Gau…Burton! UGH! EXPU…", Harold's screaming effort of Expulso was cut mid-word by Felix.  
"LAPIFORS!" His wand glowed golden and with a bang Harold was transfigured into a white bunny rabbit with grey tail.  
Everyone around, except Anneke, burst into laughter.  
"I see your marks are not the only thing's improved from last year", Hope passed a hand around his shoulders, smiling.  
Felix shrugged with an impish, yet very content and smug grin plastered across his face.  
Anneke left, looking distraught, just as Professor Jordan came from around the corner, undoing Felix's spell and giving Harold yet more detention.  
"Mum, wanna sit with us in the Three Broomsticks? Meet some more of my friends?" He asked her with a hopeful look.  
"Lead the way my knight in black robes and…neon green pants?" Her eyes bulged out, surprised.  
"Do. Not. Get. Me. Started on this country's wizarding notion of fashion!" Claudia replied, emphasizing almost every word, in frustration.  
"Oh, god. Yes, please don't!" Emerick exclaimed.  
"Humpfh", Claudia let out a disapproving grunt.  
"I think you looking stunning, Claudia dear, that's an astonishing red skirt and…dear gods! A rainbow glowing pants' Charles!" Hope choked on her saliva.  
"Great, aren't they? I'm thinking of buying a tshirt that throws light cobalt blue enchanted clouds out." Charles cracked a toothy grin.  
Claudia entered The Three Broomsticks swearing in Italian.  
"It is so easy to make her swear in Italian!" Charles high-fived Felix laughing.  
"Colovaria!" Angel, who had just returned without Ethel, pointed his wand at Charles' hair, changing it from brunette. "There, now hair and pants go together!"  
"Wicked! Thanks!" Felix saw Hope readying to take a picture of Charles, so he pointed his wand at his hair and colovaria'ed it to rainbow, hugging Charles close and grinning wide.  
Hope snapped a pic with her holophone which someone had enchanted so it now could take moving pictures, the magical way as well the holographic way.  
"I am so unbelievably sending this to your mum!" Hope laughed.  
They entered The Three Broomsticks, Felix returning his hair to their normal black colour, and sat next to Angel in their favourite spot near the fireplace.  
"So, you already know Emerick and Claudia, this is Angel Yang, Emerick's cool cousin."  
"And me!" Charles whined.  
"You are family, dear." Hope tussled his rainbowed hair.  
"Engorgio!" Felix and the others enlarged their butterbeers. "Oh! That's handy, do mine!" Hope exclaimed. Felix enlarged her glass to twice its normal size.  
"This Magic stuff's cool." Hope stated.  
"Aye!" Felix, Charles and Emerick agreed simultaneously.  
An hour in the conversation Ethel appeared looking smug.  
"Everything fine?" Felix turned his head to her.  
"Oh, most certainly. A Seventh-year thought I hadn't seen him, but he did not consider things through so, he found himself falling in a pile of manure, whoops! Thought he could spy on me, what a moron." Ethel sat down.  
"And this is Ethel. Ethel, me mum, who we still don't know what is doing here", Felix said.  
"Ethel dear, what are you good at? Charles seems to be great at murdering fashion and potions, Claudia's great at what was it? Oh yeah Arithmancy and Quidditch and transfiguration. Angel I'm told is good at pranks and dueling. You?"  
"Acquiring things and evading morons", Ethel replied, taking a gulp from her butterbeer.  
"You do find the spirited girls for friends, sweetheart. Good lad." Hope told her son, making him blow butterbeer out of his nostrils.  
"Sweetheart…" Angel cackled.  
"Jeeze mum, thanks. I'll never hear the end of it!" Felix mocked anger.  
"Oh, shush. It was a compliment. Teenagers these days."  
"And all days and ages past, present and future", Ethel remarked with a cackle.  
Their conversation continued until they had to get back to Hogwarts Express.  
"Are you okay, mum?" Felix asked her, before boarding the train.  
"No, but I will be. I really am here to meet someone who can help me out, I can't very well go to a Muggle therapist, not with what I've seen, heard and experienced, so there's someone who can help me out. I didn't tell you anything because I didn't want to worry you. I will be okay, though don't you worry." She smiled giving him a hug and a kiss on his forehead.  
"Okay. It's been nearly a year and I still can't believe I found you…alive and…okay", Felix replied, boarding the train.  
"Yeah, but you didn't find me, I was given to you…and I don't know why", Hope thought to herself, without losing her outward smile.  
It was a silent yet pleasant trip back to Hogwarts, Felix dozing off after all the excitement and the butterbeer.  
Arriving in the castle Felix noticed the peculiar silence and vacant corridors in the main entrance.  
Then they saw Alfred running towards them. "What is it, Al?" Charles asked him, concerned.  
"Another attack! A second-year Slytherin lost an arm", Alfred replied.  
"Nurse should be able to reattach it…", Felix replied, following Alfred to the scene of the attack.  
"Whoever did it, no one saw them, and they weren't aiming for the boy's arm. They screamed something about "Death to Pure-Bloods", we're not that, right Charles?" Alfred asked his brother, visibly afraid.  
"Not even remotely. Not even Felix is", Charles replied him.  
"I am, so is Ethel", Angel said.  
"Everyone likes you two, though." Charles shrugged.  
"May not…matter. There's always been tension between Pure Bloods and Muggle borns, Half-bloods and so on. Everyone thought Voldemort and Delphini would be the last ones to incite this bigotry-related thing amongst Wizardfolk, but now the Gaunt family is at it again and is the cherry that broke the camel's back", Emerick elaborated.  
"That's bullshit, we're all kids!" Claudia exasperated.  
"Just saying…" They arrived in the courtyard, where the Headmistress was, near a pool of blood. The student had obviously been carried to the Hospital Wing.  
A seventh-year Slytherin girl of average height with long blond curly hair, walked up to the Headmistress. "These attacks must stop. My father's in the Board of Governors, and the Governors say there'll be dire repercussions if they don't stop and sooner rather than later."  
"Go to your dorm, Mrs. Heart, lest you want to graduate in detention." The Headmistress left the courtyard.  
"These attacks won't go unanswered for long!" The girl left, looking furious.  
"Sooooo…probably not the best point in time to mention how tomorrow we're going to get slaughtered by Slytherin, eh?" Charles tried to grin in a cute manner.  
"Like, I don't know…is it the millionth time you've mentioned this in a bout a month?" Felix tired not to chuckle considering there had just been another attack on a student, and by one of his peers.  
"More, way more", Claudia sighed.  
"We won't lose." A female voice sounded behind them, loud enough that everyone in the courtyard heard. "I've picked the best team possible." It was the Hufflepuff Quidditch team captain, a seventh-year Asian girl with dyed red hair, green eyes and an ego the size of Hogwarts.  
Felix turned to see her, he was feeling…different than usual, towards both competitiveness and Quidditch. "Your seeker's too slow, your beater is afraid of his own shadow, and your left chaser couldn't chase a duck if it was tied to a maypole during a windless day. Finally, you've had no training with them yet. No, indeed Slytherin won't defeat you, they are going to annihilate you with their hands behind their backs, no brooms and blindfolded."  
"Fine, I accept your challenge. If you lose, you bloody well will apologize to me, if I lose, I'll resign, and you can be captain, Mr. I-can-do-it-so-much-better-than-everyone-else", she told him, turned and left.  
"No, not everyone else, just you. Mrs. I-have-an-ego-larger-than-the-galactic-core!" Felix fired back at her.  
"I didn't know you were competitive!" Charles exclaimed,  
"I am now. I want first in our year, I want the House cup and Quidditch cup for Hufflepuff and I want Slytherin to fucking lose so amazingly bad", Felix replied.  
"Uh…what's changed? Two years now…", Charles started a question he didn't finish.  
"Everything. Want the House and Quidditch cups or what?" Felix asked him in return.  
"Well yeah, obviously, who doesn't! But it ain't gonna happen." Charles shrugged his shoulders.  
"Like hell it won't."

"The Book of Thoth was a collection of papyrus scrolls, in ancient Egypt containing the knowledge of gods. Or so, the ancient Egyptians believed…", Felix was finishing up his homework on Study of Ancient Runes. "Very few clay tablets and papyrus scrolls have been found, proving the existence of the Book. Some magicarchaeologists believe the texts found to be instructions on how to read the Book of Thoth, rather than parts of the Book itself. One of them that has been deciphered from ancient hieroglyphics and runes reads "To read from the Book of Thoth is to forfeit one's self". Although without having found the actual Book of Thoth, what this may mean has not yet been verified", Felix composed his assignment from his notes and the textbook. "Ancient Greeks also had the Book of Hermes, which is believed to have been a book consisting of the names of mortals Hermes, messenger of Olympus, believed deserved ascension to the Elysian fields, and which were destined for Hades and Tartarus. Most cultures, in fact, have similar books believed to have been written by..." Felix finished his assignment, looking at his watch.  
He was alone in the Library, in almost complete silence, under the dim lights of the torches.  
"Damn! I missed the game!" He packed up in a hurry, and run to the Hufflepuff common room, a floor down.  
Ten minutes later he arrived at the common room's portrait door, a painting of a table with a fruit bowl and a bottle of vinegar. He hummed the correct pass-rhythm gaining access.  
Every Hufflepuff was gathered there, team included, looking gloom. Everyone except the team's captain that is.  
"I was in the library, what happened? How bad…?" He said dropping his backpack to the floor.  
"Three thousand…to zero…I can't even…" Charles said with a laboured, soul-crashed voice.  
An older looking girl and a boy stepped forward of the rest of the Hufflepuffs in the common room. "Katie Chong quit not only as captain, but from the team as well. We want you to captain us, and we won't take no for an answer", they told him, the rest of the team coming around them. "We don't want to lose so badly ever again."  
"I don't like flying…but okay, if y'all older boys and girls will take orders from a third year, and obey them without question?" Felix asked them, walking in the middle of the circular common room.  
"Done." The team said in unison. "I'm tired of losing." A team member said.  
Felix extended his right hand out, palm down and open. "Then, I say this. Let us win this thing." One by one the team members placed their hand on his, followed by the entirety of the Hufflepuff House placing their hands on each other's shoulders.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: To read a Book

For the gossipmongers of Hogwarts, it had been an astonishingly packed week. Gossip about Harold Nott, one of Hogwarts' most brutal duelers, being turned to a bunny rabbit and by a third year to boot. Gossip about why Azrail had stopped attacking after the summer's onslaught, with the black-market peddling medallions for protection increasing. And gossip about a potential change of leadership on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team that no one seemed to be able to verify.  
The past week there had been a nigh-constant whispering buzz along Hogwarts' corridors and classrooms.  
"Have you heard the rumours? Hufflepuff captain quit! She resigned!"  
"Yeah, I heard she quit after them being demolished by Slytherin in their last game."  
"I heard they have a new one! But my Hufflepuff friends won't tell me who it is! It's like they're safeguarding state secrets or the Crown Jewels or somethin'!"  
"I heard it's not even a Seventh-year! How will Sixth and Seventh-years take orders from one who isn't?!"  
The whispers resounded all across the corridors, in a never-ending stream.  
"Charles my man!" A Gryffindor boy their year came up to them. "Is it true it's your friend? The Burton kid?"  
"I wouldn't know, they won't tell me nada!" Charles shrugged his shoulders.  
The Gryffindor left, disappointed.  
"Best lie is the one wrapped around a truth", Claudia chuckled, they left the fountain courtyard.  
"Oh my god! He won't tell me anything! He won't tell anyone of his plans or strategy and when and where they train!" Charles whined. "I want to know!"  
"And you will, in five days against Gryffindor." Claudia tried to restraint herself from laughing at her friend's exasperation.  
"For now, while Felix offers us this amazing distraction with the rumours and him training the team and everyone trying to find out where they train, because he so wisely chose not to do so in the training Grounds, we need to gather supplies for our guests. Wands ready?" Emerick retrieved his from the in-sleeve-wand-pocket.  
"Why and since when are Slytherin students walking along students from other Houses?" Charles observed some student groups around them.  
"There was another attack yesterday. They're becoming more and more frequent, not a week after the last attack after we returned from Hogsmeade. So, now the purebloods have created protection groups with older students from different Houses grouping along with younger ones", Claudia explained.  
"And conflict is unavoidable", Ethel said barely audibly, as if for her assessment to not to happen because she said it aloud.  
Meanwhile a group of Hufflepuffs known as the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, clad in their orange-yellow and black Quidditch uniforms readied to start their training, in the Forbidden forest.  
"All here?" Felix held a broom in one hand.  
"Aye, ca'n!" Nathaniel or Nate McCormack, one of the team's beaters replied.  
"Good. On your brooms. Natalie, Max and Sam today you will thread the needle at top speeds. Nate, you are going to smash bludgers with me until they either break or you stop fearing them. Andrew, from now until the end of training today you will do two things and two things only. Jump and pushup and then repeat. Your physical ability transfers…" The team's seeker cut him off with a grin.  
"…to the broom. Ya, I know boss." The fourth-year crimson-haired blue-eyed boy with a fuzz for a moustache, laughed. For a week now, he had heard this line more than once per training session.  
"What's thread the needle?" Samuel Hovard, a short, muscled seventh-year asked him. This was new, Felix having focused on scoring accuracy so far.  
"You see the trees all around us? The ferns near the ground? The canopy above us?"  
"We're in a forest, yeah?" Natalie, a stocky blond girl, shrugged her shoulders.  
"See the green loops hanging from the said trees, scattered around? You will thread the trees. For this training session you, Max and Sam are not friends and teammates. You're opponents, you want to win so, thread it, you want to hit each other against the trees and avoid being hit against them so, thread it. You want to score the Quaffle in as many loops as you can, as many times as you can so, thread it. Show no mercy, you will receive none from Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Slytherins will show you none so, thread it."  
"Where's Mary?" Max, a tall, brunette girl with shaved black hair, asked.  
"Oh, until the game against Gryffindor you won't see her again, in training. Professor Willows is going to train her, as he would a professional Quidditch player." Felix's lips curved in a satisfied smirk.  
"Not sure that's allowed. What will Professor Horsewood and the Headmistress say when they find out?" Nate asked.  
"It's not, but our esteemed head of House is as sick and tired of losing as we are. Leave Horsewood to me, and I don't think the Headmistress will care much. On your brooms", and Felix started their training session.  
Felix with the beater smashed their bats against the bludger, trying to improve their aim and his fear against an iron-made ball coming at you at bone-breaking speeds.  
Sam, Max and Natalie threaded, twisted, maneuvered and sped at and around the trees, trying to shove each other against the trunks, twigs and sticks and score at the loops.  
It was just past curfew when they entered the Hufflepuff common room, muddied, bloodied and looking tired, yet content.  
"Hey!" Charles greeted them, sitting in an armchair reading a book. "I saved some food for all of you. You look…tired as heck!"  
"Your cousin isn't kidding around", Max said, just dropping her Quidditch stuff on the carpeted floor. "Tired? No, we're positively exhausted. I'm off to shower and crash. Great training boss." Max left for the girls' dorm rooms.  
Felix sat on the armchair opposite Charles, grabbing a plate of food and just started wolfing it down with his bare hands.  
"So, you think we'll beat Gryffindor?" Charles asked him, looking hopeful.  
"Oh, my Lords, this is so good! No, we'll lose, but Gryffindor will have to fight, sweat and bleed for every inch and they'll have to pry every point goal they score from our beating hearts", Felix said amidst mouthfuls of crusted chicken and mush potatoes. "We might win against Ravenclaw after, we will win second game against Gryffindor after that and I absolutely intent to demolish Slytherin in the second game and in the final game of the year against Ravenclaw we will win both cups', Felix burped.  
"We'll see…" Charles replied, hoping.  
Next day Felix woke up before dawn and closed the curtains in his four-poster bed. He fetched his cup from under his pillow and the rank liquid Professor Ixion had showed them and he had prepared in ample quantity since.  
He poured some in his cup and drunk it in one go. "Bottoms up", he whispered.  
The dorm room vanished beneath him, replaced by Azrail in a room he had not seen before, trying to touch the Book of Leaves.  
His fingers had no sooner touched the symbol protecting the book than it erupted into an explosion, sending him back against a black wall.  
Azrail stood up, walked up to the Book and tried to force his fingers past the symbol in fire. It resisted him fiercely, and he shoved harder. He dissaperated instantly as this time the explosion destroyed the building, leaving behind the book inside a crater. Azrail returned, wrapped a veil around the book and dissaperated again, apparating in his throne room.  
"Why? Why, sister can't I even touch the fucking book! I keep seeing the same unintelligible goddamn pictures in my mind every time", Azrail told his sister throwing the veiled book aside, it levitated throwing off the veil, and slumped on his throne of bones and crushed skulls.  
"You've told me before, brother. They are most likely symbolic in nature, understand what the wards protecting the book require of you and you'll be able to touch and read it." Ernaline replied him, bored.  
"We must discover what these…images mean, sister. We must! I must read this book, I must drink it through the Shadeglass!"  
"You don't even have that, yet." She taunted him in a calm, bored voice.  
"Has he said anything else?"  
"He keeps repeating how it is in Hog…" Azrail blasted a piece of the wall off.  
"He lies!"  
Felix woke up from the trance.  
It was later in the day, during Care of Magical creatures, professor Urana Nightingale, showing them Unicorns that he told them of the newest vision.  
"If only we knew what pictures he's talking about", Claudia whispered, taking notes of how to care and pacify Unicorns.  
"We do. If they're the same I saw when I touched the Book two years ago, we do. Sorry, I didn't tell you about it, things happened, and I sort of forgot about it", Felix replied in a hushed whisper.  
"Yeah, yeah! What are the mental pictures?" Charles piped in.  
"Not here, later", Felix saw Anneke nearby.  
"Unicorns have a natural predisposition against trusting male humans, but they are not impossible to approach if you are a boy. If you know how. So, listen well, listen closely." Professor Nightingale told them. "Unicorns are born a colour of pure gold and turn pure white by the time they reach six years old, their blood is used for potions as well as…dark arts if you are desperate enough with nothing left to lose you can drink it. You will be cursed but you will live. Now, let us move on to how to care for them, if you should ever acquire one."  
After dinner the four of them went to the room of requirement, where Felix told them of his experience after he had touched the Book of Leaves.  
"So, when I touched the Book of Leaves the first time, I saw a book's pages flipping, symbols illuminated then myself dying. A book appeared then another and another, one on top of the other, forming a pile. They all burned before a tree sprouted from the soil, growing until its branches entwine with the roots. A river of leaves and stars flowing away from me, my gaze followed it until I could see the back of myself, then I flew on top of it, watching it from a distance, the river forming the symbol of eternity.  
"The second time I touched it I saw scales in gold, imbalanced, shield carved with the symbol of eternity, scales balanced, shield broken. Repeating again and again. Then when I came to, in the Hospital Wing I saw you all covered in multicoloured auras. Charles flashed yellow, red and blue and in that order. Claudia, red, blue, yellow and red. The Nurse red, white and brighter white while the Headmistress flashed black, green and brighter black. I haven't the slightest idea what the colour sequences mean", Felix finished recounting what had happened at the end of their First-year when he had touched the Book of Leaves, in the Restricted section of the Library.  
Asmund approached them, before they could discuss it further.  
"What happens to all of you when we leave for Christmas?" Felix asked the man.  
Just then Angel approached from the dinning area of the room. "It's all been arranged with our common…acquaintance."  
"We'll be okay, and we're rebuilding the Ministry, bureaucracy takes time, but we should be out of Hogwarts by the end of the school year", Asmund replied.  
"That explains a letter and some insanely long and complicated forms I've had to complete for my lawyer the other day…", Felix said rubbing his eyes.  
"Letter? About what?" Asmund inquired, a little too brisk.  
"Oh, eh nothing. Should be interesting, though, when it happens!" Felix cracked a knowing smile.  
"Do you know what he's talking about?" Asmund turned his head to his friends.  
Claudia, Emerick and Charles shrugged their shoulders, with a smug smile.  
"No idea", Angel replied.  
Just then Ethel burst in the room. "Come quickly! There's been another attack, there's chaos in the fifth floor!" They run after her, the five of them.  
There was a heavily injured fifth year Hufflepuff girl lying on the floor bleeding, with the Headmistress trying to be heard over the chorus of scared and angry students.  
"This is the last time! From now on we fight back!" Harold Nott fired at the Headmistress.  
"You are the ones who started this in the first place with your racism and fascism!" Emerick told the older boy.  
"What did you say peepsquick?" A seventh year Gryffindor pushed him back.  
A very loud bang silenced them. "You will ALL go to your common rooms or I'll make you wish you were expelled!" Professor Adams hissed.  
"Why isn't she doing more? She keeps strengthening the rules language but does little next to nothing to enforce them." No one answered Ethel as they walked away.  
A fortnight later they were departing Hogwarts for their Christmas vacations.  
"Time flies quickly, doesn't it?" Felix stated.  
"Yeah, two weeks vacas and six months away from summer vacations!" Charles grinned wide.  
"And they say cats have an easy life, Quidditch, food, sleep, vacas", Claudia teased him.  
"I'm absolutely raving! We only lost twenty points to Gryffindor and lost to Ravenclaw by thirty points, five hours overtime and we could have won!" Charles high-fived Felix.  
"I think even his eyelids are laughing! It was a good game, though. Felix you really are good at this thing." Emerick replied. "And to be fair, you guys pummeled us with the bludger."  
"All's fair in love, war and Quidditch!" Felix cracked a grin.  
"I never thought possible that laid-back-nothing-can-stress-me-Liam, our team's captain could look so anxious or swear as much as he was, per sentence, during the game. You had us running rugged and sweating our arses off!" Claudia said, her way of complimenting his strategy.  
"Thanks guys, those two games were kinda exploratory, I wanted to learn how the team plays and how the other teams play against us." Felix looked determined.  
"I know it's only December, but it's the first time in a long time the House Cup is so close! Gryffindor is first, but only to about three hundred points to everyone else, and everyone else is like ten points to each other. Amazing!" Claudia remarked.  
"Who thought Hufflepuffs had so much fight in them!" Angel said sitting in their compartment.  
"Ha! Pity the other games start on March." Charles beamed.  
"Have you ever had to fly at eighty kilometers an hour in freezing temperatures? Not fun", Claudia shook her head.  
Eight hours later they reached platform nine and three quarters.  
"I'll see you guys in two weeks, this no trace and punishment for using spells and magic outside of Hogwarts is nice. Pity your mums get your wands during vacations", Claudia hugged Felix.  
Felix and Charles looked devilishly at each other, before high-fiving. "We got spares." Felix whispered.  
"Oooofff course you do. Wait how did you get them?" Claudia raised an eyebrow.  
"I got a contact at Olivander's." Felix tried replying vaguely.  
"You got a…who?" Angel asked, interest peaked.  
"Olivander himself, he has been helping me understand my wand."  
"Of course, you do." Emerick rolled his eyes.  
Hope and Helen retrieved them from the train station along with Alfred.  
"Can't wait to show Will all the cool stuff I've learned!" Alfred beamed.  
"Wands, now." Helen and Hope outstretched their hands out.  
Charles and Felix hid their grins.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Pureblood Legion

Two weeks after their return from Christmas vacations, a scream, prolonged and agonising made the students of Herbology to run out of the Greenhouse two to see what's happening.  
A student, a Slytherin third-year girl lay on the ground outside the castle's walls, just in the middle of the Training Grounds and Slytherin team's training session.  
She lay there, blood and organic matter splattered everywhere on the snow-covered soil.  
Felix followed the stream of people heading to the Training Grounds.  
"This was the point, wasn't it? Drop her amidst the Slytherin team", Felix whispered to himself.  
"Look!" A Slytherin team member cried, pointing at the Astronomy tower. Someone up there vanished inside the tower, but an hour later a second-year Gryffindor boy was rushed into the Headmistress' office, Professor Horsewood having found him near the tower's fifth-floor entrance, with a "APBm" badge in his pockets.  
"He was released with only a week's detention? What is wrong with her!" Felix said aloud in the Great Hall.  
The next day the second-year Gryffindor boy was involved in a duel with a seventh-year Slytherin boy. Both had sustained injuries, but the Gryffindor had more severe injuries. Professor Willows who had been near, had found an APBm badge on the Gryffindor and a "Pure Blood Legion" on the Slytherin student.  
"Pure Blood Legion? Oh, this can't end well…" Claudia rubbed her nose with her right thumb and index finger.  
"That's not the worst thing, the worst thing is the pamphlet they found on him. "Pure Blood Legion, protecting the blood that matters! Half-bloods, mudbloods, muggleborns beware!" Emerick said.  
Charles entered the Library, looking hurried. "The APBm tried to recruit me!" He said in a raised whisper.  
"Did you…?" Claudia looked at him, curiously.  
"Of course not, why?" Charles sat down, Felix on one side, Claudia on the other.  
"Because they approached me as well, and they said someone close to me was already part of them. I know my girl-friends none of them have, so…it's one of you five…"  
"Of course, not…" Felix said without even looking up from his notes.  
"I did," came Emerick's voice. "A few months ago."  
After a few moments of stunned silence Charles and Claudia turned their heads to see him.  
"You're kidding right?" Claudia stuttered, shocked. "They're murderers!"  
"They're only responsible for the first death and even that was an accident, kid looked up from the mirror he was supposed to be looking at. He was supposed to live. They say they're not responsible for the other murders and I believe them", Emerick replied.  
"Oh, they told you, how cute. And you believed them? Wow aren't you a shmuck!" Claudia replied him loudly.  
"Well, we need someone to protect us against the Pure Blood plague", Emerick replied defiantly.  
"That's bullshit, and you know it!" Claudia continued.  
"No, it's not and I don't know it." Emerick picked up his stuff and left as the Librarian approached them, to admonish them for being loud in the Library.  
"What just happened?" Charles asked, after Mr. Thorson left.  
Claudia made to say something, but with a look from Felix she grumbled and returned to her homework.  
After finishing his homework in the library, Felix headed for the day's training session with the Quidditch team, in their place in the Forbidden Forest Professor Willows had secured for them at the start of his captaincy. They were finishing up when Horsewood came to find him.  
An hour later he had exited her office and was making his way through the moving stairs of the Grand Staircase, when someone yelled "Incarcerus" and before he could react, he was lying on the floor with thorned vines restricting his hands and legs.  
"I am sorry for this, but when I tell you who I am you'll likely want to do the same to me and deliver me to Horsewood or the Headmistress. I created the APBm, along with one more person, we lead it but I never wanted anyone dead…I thought it'd make non pure bloods stick together, but it has gotten completely out of hand and now they are attacking us back." The owner of the male voice sat in the shadows of the underlit corridor, behind a corner.  
"What did you think it was going to happen, when instead of trying to unite people you stirred up hatred and division amongst the students? Because Azrail isn't doing enough of that already on his own?" Felix replied, contempt dripping from his voice.  
"I'm sorry, I'd take it back if I could."  
"I'm not the one you should apologize to, apologize to the parents and siblings of the students murdered."  
"I can't, but I can tell you this. The APBm didn't murder the Slytherin girl that fell from the Astronomy tower, Harold Nott did." The APBm leader told him.  
"How do you know?" There was no reply, Felix felt the thorny vines vanish from his hands and legs.

Next day's Defense Against the Dark Arts class had several students missing, from all four houses.  
"What happened?" Felix asked, taking his seat with Claudia and Charles.  
"Things are getting completely out of hand", Claudia whispered. "There have several nasty duels and skirmishes, now even amongst large groups. Some people are in detention others are in the Hospital Wing."  
"Lovely…", Felix looked left and right as Professor Cooper entered the classroom. "I got an interesting…."meeting" last night." Felix told them about his encounter the previous night.  
Emerick sat in a desk further away from them, for the first time since they had made friends during their first year.  
"Today you will take notes on hexes and detecting and countering them, then you will learn, take notes and practice the Redikulus spell and Boggarts. Yes, folks. It is that time of your third year."  
After half an hour of them taking notes on the hexes, detecting and countering them there came the moment most students in the classroom were waiting for, and others dreaded.  
"I'm sure most, if not all of you have an idea of what we're about to do. So, inside the wardrobe in the end of the classroom, by the stairs to my office, is a creature or rather a shapeshifting non-being called a "Boggart". The moment I open the wardrobe's door, it'll come out and take the shape of the darkest, deepest fear of the person closest to it. The way to counter it, is to wave your wand in the shape of an "R" and call out Redikulus! So, are you ready to face your fears? Go!" Professor cooper told them after they had formed a straight line in front of the wardrobe, one student behind another. He flicked his wand and the wardrobe door opened.  
It was hard to describe what was it that came out of it, for it kept shapeshifting through all the fears it had previously changed to in fractions of a second per change. It then took the shape of the fear of the student nearest it. A Gryffindor boy. "Redikulus!" The boy stammered out at the shape of a large grey dog, gnarling at him and the dog transformed into the shape of a small puppy with large glasses on it.  
Next was a Ravenclaw girl. The Boggart changed to a cloud with thunders hovering above her head. When she Redikulus'ed it, it blew up confetti all over the classroom.  
Emerick was next, and the Boggart transformed into a building burning up in huge tendrils of bright red and blue fires. Emerick Redikulu'ed it and the fire turned to silk ropes forming funny shapes.  
Ethel came after, with her fear being a giant bat. She yelled "Redikulus!" and the bat was dressed in a Santa Clause outfit with fake beard and a long wizard's red hat blowing out emerald farts.  
Claudia was next, and the Boggart shapeshifted into a large man covered in a full-body black cloak. She Redikulus'ed it and the black cloak changed to a pink hue with lots of blue flowers on. Claudia had a good laugh out of that one.  
Next was a Slytherin boy, with the Boggart changing into a stag with two sets of antlers, its mouth dripping of white foam. A spell later the stag transformed into a plastic toy.  
Charles' turn was next, he stood opposite the Boggart and it spinned transformations settling on a coffin with a white cross on top of it. Charles Redikulus'ed it and the coffin became marshmallow and gingerbread.  
"Oh, cool. If only I could eat it." Felix snorted and took his place in front of the Boggart.  
It spun transformations before settling on a boy with short, wavy hair and shadowy skin fraying on the edges as if made of ash and black eyes. "You are not Azrail…", Felix whispered taking a step closer to the non-being.  
The shadow-child's lips curved into an evil sneer, its eyes becoming fire and huge black feathered wings grew from its back. Its hand raising at Felix, holding a wand like his. "You know who I am, Dreogan forgotten but not lost, you know who I am, reader and drinker of understanding eternal. Avad…"  
"REDIKULUS!" Felix cried, and the boy transformed into a wooden nutcracker soldier.  
Anneke was next, despite her protests. The boggart spun and settled into her parents' portrait, cracked in the middle, blood oozing out of their parents. "Redikulus…", the Boggart spun out focusing on Ariana behind her. Harold Nott appeared in front of them. Her incantation of Redikulus came almost instantly after the non-being had formed Harold, transforming his pants and robes to an outfit of a short knee-laced dress with painted spiders all over it and a pink-blue garland across his shoulders.  
People laughed, except for Felix.  
Three students later Professor Cooper turned the Boggart to him, before pushing it back into the wardrobe.  
"And this wraps it up, folks", said the Professor.  
"Well, that was…interesting!" Charles exclaimed. "I didn't know Boggarts could talk."  
"It is not…well documented, yet if it is part of what Felix fears the most, it will be replicated by the Boggart…And what is it you're afraid of Mr. Burton?" Professor Cooper asked him.  
"I—I don't know, sir", Felix mumbled.  
"Ah well, few of us really know our darkest fears and desires", replied the Professor after a moment's eye contact.  
After lunch in the Great Hall, Felix headed to the Forbidden Forest's Hufflepuff team's training spot, where the team awaited him.  
After he hand-shook and fist-bumped all of them he stood in the center of the team. "Boys and girls, men and women. You gave Gryffindor hell the first game, even if we lost by twenty points. We lost against Ravenclaw by the skin of their teeth and five hours overtime, as we kept their seeker busy with bludgers and we should have won. Next week, we play our second game against Gryffindor. What say you we win?" Felix emphasized you.  
"Aye, captain!" The team replied in one voice.  
"Good, Gryffindors like flying fast, but they haven't your stamina. Claudia loves hitting the bludgers hard, but her aim suffers when someone is near one of her teammates, I love her empathy as a friend but as your captain we will use it against her. Their seeker he is as afraid of heights or dives as he is fast, use that against him. Their strongest trait is Alicia Morewind, their left chaser, who is insanely accurate in scoring up close and personal and likes to thread her opponents, but what have you been doing for three months now? Threading the needle! So, gather round, this is going to be our strategy for this game." They gathered closer to him, as he laid out the team's strategy for their Gryffindor game their training would be based on.  
Six weeks later the team stood on the Quidditch field's soil, in the oval-shaped stadium.  
"Boys and girls, men and women. You all know what we're here for, you have trained hard for this game, what say you we win?" Felix asked them, their hands knotted together in the center.  
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The team yelled and mounted their brooms.  
"Oh my god! Start already!" Charles yelled from the Hufflepuff portion of the stands, high above the ground, dressed in all orange and black, with a Hufflepuff scarf around his neck. Twenty meters high, a little higher than the six Quaffle rings, three for each team, two lower one central higher. The two sets of three loops were opposite each other with the stands on towers all across the oval-shaped pitch. The towers decorated with the colours of the two teams playing.  
"Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen, to another Hogwarts Cup game! This game finds Hufflepuff against Gryffindor!" A Fifth-year girl begun the game's commentary.  
"A small recap of the rules before we begin! Yeah, yeah, shut up I know it's not the first game! I like this bit! Two chasers for each team, their goal to score the Quaffle ball in either of the three loops of the opposite team, a goalkeeper for each team, his sole purpose to prevent them! The two beaters will try their best to prevent the bludger from hitting their teammates and send it to the opposite team's players! And finally, the seeker's job is to catch the Golden Snitch and end the game as well as give their team one hundred and fifty points! The team with the most points by the time the Golden Snitch is caught, wins!" Her high-pitched voice echoed over the Quidditch-pitch.  
"Both teams are in, Professor Willows whistles the start! Alicia grabs the Quaffle and speeds up! Looks like Sam is trying to hunt her down! She flips around him and approaches the goal loops aaaaand scooooore for Gryffindor! Ten nil. Looks like Gryffindor seeker has found the Golden Snitch! He darts for it, oh no! Felix cuts him off with a bludger, he barely avoided that rocket!"  
Gryffindor scored another two goals, making it thirty zero. "Come on Felix, come on!" Charles kept repeating under his breath, as Professor Willows gave a foul to Hufflepuff.  
"Sam has the Quaffle, he sends a pass to Max, and Alicia steals it! She passes the ball to Jeremy, Jeremy to Ian and Ian back to Alicia and goal! Forty nil! Another steal just as the Hufflepuff team passes the ball from the center line! Fifty zero! Does Hufflepuff intent to play in this game?" Ten minutes later Hufflepuff had conceded another three goals, two from Alicia.  
"Huffs don't even look bothered by the fact we're losing eighty zero…", Charles thought at the edge of his seat.  
On eighty zero Felix looked at Natalie and pressing his two middle fingers against his lips, he gave two high-pitched whistles with a small interruption in between.  
"Alicia grabs the Quaffle, Sam tries to block her way, she tries to flip around him, and…Natalie smashes up against her broom! Max steals the Quaffle! What a move! What is Felix doing? He has sent the bludger right at his chaser's path! OH MY GOD! WHAT A MOVE!" The Ravenclaw girl screamed passionately as at Max aligned his head with the bludger and at the last possible moment made a three hundred sixty flip. The bludger smashed up against Jeremy, one of three Gryffindor chasers, sending him spiraling down as Max passed the ball to Sam who had flown the distance of the pitch to the Gryffindor goal loops. He received the pass and with one consecutive throw of his hand scored.  
"Ian passes the ball to Jeremy, who is not looking so well, Jeremy tries to pass it to Alicia…Natalie steals the ball! Natalie passes to Sam, Sam sends it behind his back to Max, Max lifts off her broom to pass it under her legs back to Sam…what is going on here! When did the Hufflepuffs become so gooooood!?", the Ravenclaw commentator yelled her surprise. "This is amazing, folks! The Hufflepuffs are running the Gryffindors rugged, Gryffindor beaters can't even take aim at them as they remain so close to their own teammates!" Felix cracked a grin.  
"Twenty eighty! Hufflepuffs vanished the ball!" Marisa yelled as Max scored Hufflepuff team's second goal. Jeremy passed the ball at Alicia who tried passing it to Garry, the third Gryffindor chaser, a tall red-haired boy, but Andrew flew at break-neck speed right in front of him, making him halt and lose the Quaffle as at the same time Pauline, the fifth year Gryffindor seeker, sped up towards Andrew. Sam grabbed the Quaffle.  
Felix clasped his hands twice before giving a sharp whistle with his fingers. The three chasers formed an arrow head and started passing the Quaffle between them while Felix and Nate guarded their flanks sending the bludger at Gryffindors.  
"Forty eighty! The Hufflepuffs are making a comeback! Can Gryffindor team stop them? Stay with us boys and girls, the game's heating up!"  
Alicia grabbed the Quaffle and made a speed run towards the Hufflepuff goal. "Sam is trying to head her off! Claudia bats the bludger at him! What is he doing? He's not trying to evade it, folks! He is not go…oh my god! Sam crosses in front of Alicia! She's diving so she doesn't get hit by the bludger! And Natalie steals the ball from her, Natalie passes the ball to Sam, Sam to Max, Max to Natalie who lowers her head to her broom! What speed! Slow down girl! You missed the goal loops! Gryffindor's three chasers are after her! Ian's left alone! Natalie passes the ball to Sam behind her back! Ian closes his left flank, Sam passes the ball to Max, GOAL! Goal from Max on Ian's unguarded right loop. Fifty Eighty Gryffindor are ahead but for how lo…Pauline makes a dive, we know she doesn't like dives! Looks like she's spotted the Golden Snitch if she catch…Nate smashes the bludger her way! She stops her dive AND ANDREW CATCHES THE SNITCH! HUFFLEPUFF HAVE WON! Two hundred to eighty! Well played Hufflepuff!" Marisa screamed passionately as Hufflepuffs erupted in cheers, along with Slytherins who were happy their archrivals had lost, and also because they could now surpass them in the House Cup Leaderboard.  
The team gathered around Andrew, who was holding the golden snitch above his head, grinning wide.  
They pilled their hands one on top of the other and lifted it off with a cheer. "Hufflepuff!"  
"We won a game!" Charles' voice was heard over the chorus of cheers, repeating the same line. "We won a game! We won a game!"  
Cheers escorted the team everywhere they would go for the next few days, in the common room, the corridors and the classrooms. Felix had helped break a very long losing streak for Hufflepuff Quidditch team.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Hogwarts Divided

Winter was behind them and spring's flowers were blooming in and around Hogsmeade.  
Felix circled around the Village's house streets, making sure he wasn't followed. Victory in the Quidditch game against Gryffindor two weeks prior had given the Hufflepuffs a much-needed moral boost but it had given him unforeseen problems as his popularity had increased making him less invisible than before. This newfound popularity amongst the student body had made it tougher for him to be involved in the efforts to safeguard and care for the Aurors in the school.  
It had been two weeks and yet it had taken him, now, an hour to get away from Hogsmeade's central commercial street from all the Hufflepuffs and students from other Houses congratulating him and asking him about his strategy and what he would do for the next games. "As if that's something I'd tell anyone outside the team." He thought to himself as he jumped over a fence into someone's property and then run across the garden and jumped out the back.  
He finally reached his destination, and the abandoned building on the outskirts of the Village where the Aurors would apparate in.  
Felix retrieved his wand. "Revelio vigilare", he whispered, and a door appeared in the otherwise doorless wall.  
"Everyone here?" He entered, the door vanishing behind him.  
"You must be…Felix?" An Auror woman asked him, it was dark and moist with light entering the abandoned dwelling from the cracks on the walls and roof.  
"That's me…there's been a change in plans."  
"What change in plans?"  
"Hogwarts's full…we have nowhere to put you, at least not without getting discovered, so y'all are gonna have to stay here, our common…friend's gonna come by tomorrow and help you secure and improve the building some."  
"Lovely…well beats the hell out of having to run for our lives, being hunted by Azrail's hounds…I thank you for informing us, you are a weird child. I had expected you to be more like your family yet…I am happily surprised."  
"I've brought you food and some blankets, our common friend will make further arrangements for you tomorrow until the Ministry's rebuilt and you can all return to your homes."  
"We can't return to anywhere until your brother's either in Azkaban or dead. They say he's stopped the attacks, but it is untrue. He has stopped public attacks on wizardfolk and Muggles but behind the shadows he's after any and all Ministerial officials and he has so far prevented at least four countries from rebuilding their Magical governments. Make no mistake. we are still very much at war." The woman told him taking a seat down at the cracked and worn wooden floorboards.  
"Is there anything else you need?" Felix asked her.  
"Information, is there anything you can tell us? We have been on the run for so long some of us have had no information about our loved ones, our children in Hogwarts or elsewhere…" Another man came out from the shadows, he looked rugged, with torn and worn clothes, unshaved and tired.  
"Unfortunately, nothing good…Azrail is not the only problem of the Wizarding world, Hogwarts is nearly in a civil war of its own…a group of non-Pure-Blood students has formed what they call "The Anti Pure Blood movement or APBm" and are attacking Pure Blood students across all houses. Lately the pure bloods created the Pure Blood Legion and have begun to strike back, and the Headmistress seems unable or incapable of restoring order and cohesion", Felix replied.  
"Are the students okay?"  
"I…I'm afraid not all of them, there's been deaths on both…"sides"…I can tell you their names if you want…although I hate being the bringer of such tragic news."  
"Please…" The man pleaded with a broken voice.  
Felix told them the names and surnames of the students who had so far died. At the mention of one of the names the man crumbled on the floor, on his knees, his hands supporting his body as he dissolved in wailing cries.  
"Tristan Goodwill…he was his son…" A different woman Auror explained, hugging him close, she herself looked no better in worn clothes and unkept, long black hair.  
"I…I'm sorry…", Felix fought back tears of his own.  
"I…fought this war so that my lonesome would not have to…I fought it to prevent a psychopath and his son from destroying my world…and I failed…I failed him…", Felix would have given anything to bring back his son from the dead, to have been able to tell the man something, anything but there was nothing he could do or say so he did the only thing he could.  
He kneeled on the floor wrapping the man in a close embrace, in silence, until the man calmed down.  
"If even kids in a school are so divided…Azrail has won…" Someone said from the shadows.  
"Then we fight back. We will unite Hogwarts, I don't know how but we will!" Came a fearless female voice from Felix's back.  
"How? Even the professors are taking sides now…", Felix turned his head to see Claudia having entered the building.  
"How? Even Professors are taking sides now. Professor Rowthorn is openly supporting the APBm and Professor Turney the Legion…and I can't understand why the fuck does the Headmistress not fire them!" Felix asked back, angrily.  
"Because she thinks it will only make things worse, because she thinks Azrail is bound to get caught or killed and then things will quiet down because…I don't know why", Claudia answered.  
"Well it's not working…", Felix replied.  
"Mary Adams is one of the most powerful witches of our generation, there is no doubting that", said one of the Aurors. "Which does not mean she is equally a good administrator of students and people. I had said as much before I was ousted from the board of Governors."  
"You were in the Board of Governors?" Felix and Claudia asked almost simultaneously.  
"I was, I was ousted forcefully by Cillian, Joymother and their gang of thugs."  
"They did much the same in most countries' schools of magic. It is how they gained so many warriors to their "cause". And the magical governments were so utterly blind to what was going on."  
"The Ministry is almost re-built here in the UK; its location is the best kept secret of the land at the moment", someone else said. "We will take back our country from Azrail. He is having loses as well, even if no one is talking about it."  
"I heard rumours he's working on a mass scale new magical weapon of some sort, something some people have heard named "Angelsword"", another woman said, her voice wavering.  
"Yeah, because that's what was missing from this…my brother having a mass murder weapon…", Felix said, then he got an idea. "Any of you know what the "Shadeglass, the Ferryman's vessel" is? He has been searching for this like…well like a madman."  
"I've not heard of it before…but…could it be related to a myth of my home country?" A middle-eastern looking man spoke. "From Persian mythology, there's the cup of Jamshid, a cup of divination that was long possessed by rulers of the ancient Persian Empire and was said to be filled with an elixir of eternity. The whole world was said to be reflected in it…what is this Shadeglass said to be able to do?"  
"I...haven't the foggiest…I've just heard my brother is looking for it with every resource in his disposal", Felix replied.  
"Why? What does he want with it?" The same Auror asked him.  
"I don't know that either…", Felix admitted.  
"I'm sorry I can't be of more help…he is not like other Dark Wizards we've fought in the past, Cillian we would have eventually defeated, his aim was clear, with Azrail no one knows what he wants or what he's after or why."  
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we must get going, or people might start looking for us…what with now the both of us being popular kids…"  
"Damn that Hufflepuff victory against Gryffindor!" Felix joked, he didn't even begin to regret that victory.  
"Hufflepuff managed to score a victory against Gryffindor? Finally!" The original woman Auror voiced, excited for the first time. "They must have a good captain…finally…loyalty in spades alone does not win games, I always said."  
"Yeah, thanks", Felix cracked a grin.  
"You? You can't be a seventh-year." She said, looking surprised.  
"I am not, and that is partially why we'll win the House Cup."  
"They underestimate you…smart strategy but it won't win you the cup, alone."  
"I know, I have an ace up my sleeve…or more", Felix's grin widened.  
"I am not going to like it, am I?" Claudia rolled her eyes.  
"No, probably not if you're not Hufflepuff." Felix shrugged and bade the Aurors farewell before leaving.  
They walked fast, back to the commercial street, finding the others eating candy and chocolate in Honeydukes, and together they walked back to the train.  
"Oh, before I forget…did you know your mum's in Hogsmeade?" Claudia asked him, taking the seat next to him.  
"She was? No, I had no idea. She didn't tell me about it."  
"She was in Madam Puddifoot's tea shop, waiting for someone." Angel replied.  
"Oh, god…you don't think she has a boyfriend or something, do you?" Felix sighed.  
"Most likely, and someone who is probably working in either Hogsmeade…or Hogwarts", Claudia affirmed.  
"Why wouldn't she tell me? We're corresponding almost daily."  
"Oh, because from what Emerick's told me, she's only lately reconnected with you and she'll want to make sure whoever she may create a relationship with is "serious" and before she even contemplates telling or having the two of you meet. It'll be as awkward as it can get anyway, so why have it if it's not going to last? Especially if that whoever it is person, is one of your Professors in Hogwarts", Angel replied.  
"Oh, god…", Felix considered the possibility of "him" being one of the Hogwarts Professors.  
"She's not going to be with someone who doesn't make her happy and from what little Emerick's told me, she's not going to be with someone you might mistrust or disapprove of, but it is also important to consider her happiness", Angel told him.  
"I don't mind her having a boyfriend…or girlfriend. I just…can you imagine if it's someone like Turney?" Charles snorted.  
"You are, now, vastly underestimating your mother", Claudia replied him.  
"I guess you're right…who could it be, though?"  
"Nah, don't do that to yourself, mate. You'll torture yourself over nothing. Just trust your mother, if she does indeed have a boyfriend or whatever she will tell you when she herself is ready and it'll be alright." Angel gave him a pat on his shoulder.  
That night, under the cover of darkness, behind the closed curtains of his four-poster bed, drunk another dose of the seer's liquid.  
He was no longer phased out or worried about the dorm room, and his bed vanishing underneath his feet.  
He found himself in a strange, tall and modern building, covered in a full glass façade, it was high noon outside and everything seemed peaceful. He walked around the corridors, and the various exhibits. He was in a museum searching for something.  
"This thirst is ever present…and I haven't even the time to satisfy it now…" He thought to himself in a voice he didn't recognize.  
He saw the plaques of an exhibit, the explanation was in Chinese, although he could not tell in which dialect.  
He searched for hours, leaving behind him dead bodies of the guards and the visitors, anyone who stood in his way.  
"Where is the damn thing! Azrail said it would be here, the Yànwàng's horn…a horn that is supposed to be a cup? I cannot find it, it is not here!" He said looking at a mirror, revealing his long canines.  
"Bloodfang!" Felix yelled, waking up from the trance. He lost no time in picking up a piece of parchment, a quill and his inkwell and writing a hasty letter to Professor Horsewood, under the moon's light coming through the window behind his bed.  
He picked up a bird's whistle and blew in it producing a sound inaudible to human ears but one that Caladrius would hear in the owlery.  
Not ten minutes the silver-blue feathered bird appeared on the ledge outside the window.  
"Take this to Professor Horsewood, top speed!" Felix tied the letter around the Augurey's right talon and gave it a gentle scratch under its' beak.  
Caladrius croaked his pleasure and flew off.  
It was a few hours later, after the classes had finished for the day when Professor Horsewood found him discussing with his friends in a corridor. She did not even have to tell him anything, she merely nodded with her head and he knew.  
"I'll catch up with you later." He told Charles and the others.  
He followed her to her office, where she placed the anti-eavesdropping wards.  
"I received your letter and sent out all the Aurors I could manage. They managed to prevent Bloodfang from harming anyone or finding that…item even if not without some casualties. They'll never know it, but quite a few people owe you their lives, I wish I could give you points but alas..." She told him looking sad.  
"It's okay, ma'am. I didn't do it for the points, send you that letter I mean. But…what is this Yànwàng's horn?"  
"An interesting question, which peaked my interest as well. Unfortunately, Hogwarts' Library's literature on Asian or Chinese history, mythology or magic is somewhat…limited. I did find Yànwàng is the Chinese god of death, or at least one variation of it. He is also the King of the Diyu, their version of the underworld, land of the dead. So, this horn item must be something related to him", Horsewood replied him.  
"Or Death, the underworld's his domain…", Felix mumbled.  
"An astute observation. How did you learn about this upcoming attack before it could even happen, Mr. Burton?" She asked him, raising an eyebrow.  
"Dream that wasn't a dream, ma'am. Just like with the Ministry attack." He told her, wrapping a lie around a truth, and trying his best not to flinch or blink, or look left, right or anywhere else but straight into her eyes.  
"I see…well, you best return to your friends, Mr. Burton." She told him, removing the wards from around the room and the door to her office.  
He found his friends in the courtyard, enjoying the afternoon sun.  
He told them of his dream as well as the conversation with Horsewood.  
"First, he goes after the Shadeglass, whatever that is, now he's going after the Yànwàng's horn, whatever that is…what does he want with all these ancient relics? What does he know we don't?" He exasperated, taking a seat on the grass.  
"Want it alphabetically or in list?" Charles chuckled. "Did Horsewood not know anything else?"  
"Not that she told me."  
"I have news on the Animagus thingy", Claudia whispered to them.  
"Oh?" Both boys turned their attention to her.  
"It won't be easy…but I think I've got it down, at least the theory part."  
"I imagine you have notes for us to read on?" Felix said, it was more of a statement than a question.  
"About a hundred pages worth plus two books you must read whole. But in short? We don't transform into an animal, or any animal we desire. We all possess an animal within us…more or less. To transform into that animal, we must cast a transfiguration spell in Latin, which comes from a translation from a much older ancient Egyptian spell." She saw Charles' eyes bulge out. "Considering that worst case scenarios include permanent fusion of both human and animal body parts, or erroneous splicing of eternal organs or even death…ya want to do this? You will study or I'm not teaching you how to do this." She turned her eyes to Felix. "Your wand works better now? Can't be just whatever you two did last summer…can it?"  
"I haven't the foggiest", Felix replied her. "The animal within…this must be what Bloodfang transformed into last year when he went feral."  
"We know nothing about them, your brother's henchmen", Claudia said.  
"Do we even want to?" Felix asked.  
"Maybe not us…but if we want them and him defeated, we or whoever else needs to understand them, to know them to know how to battle them."  
"I don't want to battle them, I want to be a kid in school." Felix replied ending the subject by standing up and leaving.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Discovered

As May made his entry, nature was the only thing blooming in Hogwarts. Students now walked in large groups, and those who didn't got attacked. Professor Horsewood had the other professors escorting the first and second years from class to class and from everywhere to everywhere. They were doing so without the Headmistress' knowledge.  
Charles and Felix were heading to the class of Care of Magical Creatures, in the grounds outside, when two older boys, a Slytherin and a Ravenclaw, blocked their way, with a Gryffindor girl blocking their rear.  
"Do let us pass, mate", Felix tried to walk past them.  
"Your brother's a criminal and a thug." The Ravenclaw boy pushed him back.  
"Keep eating your breakfast, mate. You're getting there", Felix told him.  
"He and your family must die." The Gryffindor boy said, pushing Charles and him back some more, taunting them.  
"Less kale, more lettuce and tomatoes. That ought to help you decrease your stupidity", Felix told him, looking unintimidated.  
"You are his family." The Gryffindor girl told them, pushing them forward.  
"I am no more willingly his family than you are willingly or knowingly going to display any sort of intelligence", Felix ducked as the Slytherin boy fired a spell his way, hitting the girl behind him.  
Felix had his wand out, before the Slytherin boy could fire a second spell. "Stupefy!" The spell hit the boy square on his chest, dropping him unconscious on the floor.  
Charles expeliarmus'ed the Ravenclaw boy, with Felix straightening with an uppercut on his jaw, sending him flying.  
"Depulso!" The Gryffindor girl fired at Charles, sending him back against a wall.  
"Levicorpus!" Felix cast at her, lifting her off the ground, upside down. "Stepefulso!" His wand exploded a sonic wave off at her sending her against the far wall.  
"Cool, I didn't know what would happen if I mixed twos spells!" He helped Charles up.  
"With me." Professor Jordan's voice alerted them to his presence. He lifted the incapacitated boys and girl off the floor with a flick of his wand, leading them all to the Headmistress' office.  
They waited until she finished writing something, her large pet cat lying idly in front of her office, looking at them intensely.  
"Why did you attack Misters Burton and Blake?" She asked the two boys and the girl.  
"We were provoked, ma'am." The Slytherin boy lied.  
"No, we didn't!" Felix protested.  
"You told me I'm unintelligent", said the Gryffindor girl.  
"You and your…friends were already blocking our way and were trying to provoke us. And you not being intelligent is not a provocation, it is merely the truth. Less kale I'm telling you!"  
"So, you think insulting someone is funny? What about their feelings? Their culture? I am very disappointed in you, Mr. Burton." The Headmistress told him.  
"Their feelings? Their culture? What about ours? What about the feelings of the victims? You keep shifting and rewriting and changing Hogwarts' rules, but you have not done jackshit nothing to enforce them and punish those responsible, and they continue to grow bolder and bolder. You are disappointed in me? I'm disgusted by you. Your "administrative" decision has divided Hogwarts and it's tearing the studentship apart!" He fired back at her, standing on his feet.  
"Detention to the three of you and fifty points from Hufflepuff. Leave." She told them.  
Professor Jordan left with them.  
Claudia and Alfred awaited them outside her office.  
Alfred gave his brother first a hug, then Felix.  
"You okay bro? Your jaw's slacking a lot", the boy giggled.  
Charles recounted them what had happened from them getting attacked to Felix's bout with the Headmistress.  
"Whooaah!" Alfred high-fived his cousin.  
Claudia facepalmed. "Madonna mia! You should have been a Gryffindor…" She sighed.  
"Courageous?" Felix laughed.  
"Sure, let's go with that. To a fault!" Claudia couldn't help but laugh.  
"Things are bad…there were three duels today alone other than ours", Charles said.  
"This must stop…somehow", Claudia replied.  
Felix replied nothing.  
"We must be going to Care of Magical Creatures", Charles told him.  
"Yeah, and we have runes after. If you except the tons of homework, it's actually an interesting class."  
They arrived in the for the Care of Magical Creatures classroom, an enclosed space in the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest with various sheds and shelves with tools all made from wood spread out all over the enclosure, to find the other students and the Professor already there. "Good of you to join us, Mr. Blake and Mr. Burton. We are taking notes on the fire crab, please do get your stuff out." The professor told them, returning to her lecture.  
After writing down notes on identifying the creature, caring for it and what to avoid and so on Professor Urana Nightingale released some fire crabs. "If the fire crab likes you, the flame it will shoot out of its rear will be blue, and not directed at you. If it doesn't like you, it will shoot red flames and it will try to incinerate you. For this reason, please do cast a flame freezing spell, each of you. The Nurse is busy enough this year without injuries from this class", she told them.  
"Never throw it food, hit a fire crab with anything, even the tastiest sand shrimp, and it will consider itself under attack. You can't hope to overpower it with brute strength, not a creature of nigh eighty kilos, including the crystals on its back. So, taking the outmost concentration to give it food at its mouth and to not aggravate it is a sound practice. Fire crabs can indeed be killed, and they were for the precious stones on their backs, which is why they are not a protected species by the…well when we had a Magical Government…anyway, there's three of them, so you will have to take turns to try and feed them. These three as they belong to Hogwarts are quite tamed, they won't be in nature if you should ever encounter them."  
The students lined up in three rows behind each of the Fire crabs. Felix went first, looking worryingly at the large, turtle-like, six-legged creature with the green and white crystals sticking out its back. Kneeling down so as to minimize how threatening he'd look, he grabbed hold a handful of sand shrimp from a bucket and slowly extended his open hand at the creature.  
The Fire crab made a couple hesitant steps towards him sniffing out his hand. Taking another couple of steps forward the Fire Crab opened its mouth and nibbled out a shrimp from his hand. Shooting a small puff of blue smoke from its rear it ate all of the shrimp in Felix's hand before releasing a two-meter-high stream of blue fire, from its rear end, away from the kids.  
"Wicked!" Said Felix.  
Charles was next, and he also received blue flames from the creature.  
"This will never grow old!" He said.  
"Right?" Felix high-fived him.  
Felix and Charles fed the Fire Crabs at least two more times before the end of the class.  
Charles had a free hour, which meant studying in the library, while Felix joined Claudia in the study of ancient runes classroom. Emerick was also there but had been avoiding them for some time now, so he sat away from them.  
"Reading up on the Animagus thing?" Claudia whispered to him. Today's lesson was proving to be one of her favourites and one Felix's least favourites, on the subject of the philosophy linking numerology, arithmancy and Ancient runes together.  
"Yeah…right now it seems easier than this lot", Felix replied, tapping his quill on his notepad full of runes, equations and numerological tables. "We're supposed to be able to understand these things?"  
"If you read up on the class's bibliography, sure", Claudia replied.  
"I know, I was rhetorically whining about my choice of an elective class."  
"Boys…", Claudia said with a smirk on her face.  
Felix swallowed a chuckle, Professor Markesia Prudentia was not a Professor whose class you wanted to interrupt. Her thin frame and pleasant face with dark hair tied in a bonnet did little to betray her strict, authoritarian demeanor, at least in her classroom.  
"Charles reading the notes?" Claudia whispered.  
"Surprisingly…yeah." He replied in an equally low voice.  
"At least you have Quidditch practice after, cheer up."  
"It's what sustains me right now." Felix's reply made her silently roll her eyes.  
"Many things in numerology and Arithmancy have different meanings and names according to various interchangeable parameters." The Professor carried her lesson with a deep soprano voice. "They both pale in comparison to ancient runes."  
"Ancient Gaelic runes each could have several different meanings, uses and names according to where in a sentence each were placed, how they were voiced, in what accent, how they were written, if a respected person like a village elder or a teacher said them, to a younger person, a student or visa versa, they could be used to describe moods, locations and the same runes could be used as numerical symbols. In other cultures, like the Norse, the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and the origins of Indo-European languages like linear A and B, there are also similarities and differences. Trade, and wars during those times influenced and changed not only the people but the runes as well for each culture, even across large distances. For example, in Celtic culture a Mether was a cup of friendship and unity, in ancient Greek culture a Meandros or Meander was a very important symbol of unity and infinity. It is not known when but at some point, during pre-historical times as well as historical, merchants from one area influenced another area, and one culture's symbol of infinity became another culture's cup of friendship and unity, or vice versa." She took a breath. "One rune having one name, thus, does not mean it does not have many names across many eras and cultures. Today you will write down the most known names, meanings and uses of the Celtic runes, in our next class we will deepen into linear A and B, hieroglyphics as well as some Norse."  
"Oh joy…", Felix whispered under his breath.  
"MY head hurts, as Charles would say", Felix said, gathering his things after the class's end.  
"You are better in this class than I am…what are you whining about?" Claudia tried not to laugh.  
"That does not mean my head doesn't have the right to hurt!"  
"It'd have the right to hurt if it was actually being used", She teased him.  
"You just said I'm better in this class than you, are you admitting your head's emptier than mine?" Felix fired back at her.  
"No."  
"Sounds like it."  
"Shut up." She tried to hide a smile.  
"Anyway…I have to run, Quidditch practice."  
He run to Hufflepuff team's training spot in the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest.  
"Boys and girls, men and women. In two days, we fight the Slytherins in our second game with them. I want you all to forget the first game as if it never happened. I want us to demolish them and pay them back, So, here's our strategy for the upcoming game. Harold Nott is not a speedy seeker, he does everything with brute strength, just like dueling. Yes, Andrew you can't match him in strength, but strength and brutality have a very severe weakness, especially when matched with pride and arrogance which he has both in spades. Taunt him, make him follow you, you may not be faster than the Ravenclaw seeker, but you are ages faster and far smarter than Harold fucking Nott. I want you to take his mind off of the Golden Snitch and entirely on you, I want you to enrage him, I want him to want to do nothing else other than de-broom you, let him foul you again and again. Every foul he makes will interrupt his captain's plans and game rhythm."  
"Aye, boss." Andrew nodded with his head.  
"Nate, you and I have the toughest job in this game, we must disrupt the Slytherin chaser trio, united they are unstoppable, and it is how they demolished us the last time. Katie failed to see that and tried to get you to pass the ball around. We are going to play a little different today. You could say a tad unorthodox. They are great when they can pass the ball and they can steal the Quaffle if we try to pass it around, but they are horrible in man to man…or man to woman forays. Sam your boyfriend is one of their chasers, we are absolutely going to use that against him. We are going to feed you the ball and you are going to charge at him, there won't be much of any passing the Quaffle this game. One of you three grabs the Quaffle you go for the score. Their captain might be a clever one, but he is mighty afraid of smashing his daddy's new gift to him. His new broom might be new, it might be fast, but he is terrified of having it scratch, wear and tear. Max and Natalie, guess what you'll be doing with the Quaffle in your hands?"  
"Charging at him as if our lives depend on it?" Natalie grinned wide.  
"Eeeexactly. He likes his new broom? Let us wear it down for him a notch, shall we?"  
"Aye, cap'n." The two girl chasers replied, trying to hold down their laugh.  
Sam wasn't as happy about having to use his boyfriend but his desire for him and his team to win was big enough that he didn't voice any objections.  
Felix continued unwrapping and explaining his strategy, then had them train accordingly.  
Some five hours later, during diner in the Great Hall, the Slytherin Prefect girl approached them. "Felix Burton?"  
"Yeah…?" Felix replied, his wand at the ready, under the table. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Claudia and Charles also looking ready for a fight.  
"We want you to join us, join the Pure Blood Legion", the Prefect told him.  
"What? I'm not even a Pure-Blood by your consideration", Felix replied.  
"Your father's a wizard and your mother's directly descended from one of the school's founders. In fact, you have in your blood all four of the school's founders."  
Felix knew at that moment all eyes in the Great Hall were on him. "I will have to think about it." He said simply and returned to eating his beef roast.  
"You can't be serious…" Charles asked him, whispering, Claudia looked ready to cry. The Prefect walked away.  
Felix did not reply.  
Charles continued his food, eyeing his cousin waiting for him to say something, anything.  
Charles and Claudia left for their common rooms, leaving Felix to walk back alone.  
He was nearly at the common room's portrait door when someone locked his hands and legs in place.  
In the shadows to his left, behind a corner away from the torches lightning the corridor stood a hooded figure.  
"Joymother knows about the Aurors in the room of requirement. He will be in Hogwarts tomorrow morning." A female voice told him and vanished in the darkness of the night.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Animagus

It took five hours for Charles to worry of Felix's whereabouts and defy the curfew to go looking for him, in the cold of night.  
"Oh my god, are you okay? Were you attacked? Finite incantatem!" He bent over his best friend and cousin, releasing him from the spell's binds.  
Felix jumped up on his feet, grabbing Charles by his wrist. "Waiiiit! Where are we going? It's past curfew!"  
Felix ignored him, making a beeline for Professor Horsewood's office.  
"Wait! You there!" A voice yelled at them in the dark.  
"Oh, shit!" Charles whined, sure they were going to lose Hufflepuff points by being out and about past curfew.  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're out of dorms past curfew, I'm…we're going to Professor Horsewood's office, I wouldn't suggest you try and stop me." Felix told the approaching Ravenclaw Prefect and kept on striding his way to his target.  
The Ravenclaw boy followed them not knowing what to do.  
Felix banged on the Professor's office door with passionate energy. "Stop it! What are you doing? You'll wa…", the Ravenclaw prefect tried, in vain, to stop him.  
The Professor opened the door ajar, ready to give hell to whoever was waking up her at this hour, but the moment the door was open Felix stormed in. "The Governors know about our guests", he told her without turning around.  
"Thank you, I'll take it from here." She closed the door on the Ravenclaw Prefect's face.  
"Speak." She ordered him, after placing whatever wards her sleep-craving mind remembered.  
Felix told her what had happened earlier. "Wait here." She told them and left her office.  
Charles was nodding off by the time Professor Horsewood returned with Angel, Ethel and Claudia. He new better than to ask where Emerick was.  
"It's stupid o'clock…I was seeing a really really really good dream…", Angel complained, half-asleep.  
"Tell them." Horsewood told Felix who obliged.

The Headmistress was annoyed, more so than usual for this year. She had no desire to see Joymother again, yet he was coming, and he would not tell her why.  
She waited for him in the drawbridge. He apparated just beyond the road by the Forbidden Forest, just outside the School's grounds.  
He walked up to her, looking gleeful.  
"Why have you come? She asked him, feeling even more agitated now that he was in front of her.  
"Two reasons. One, Aurors in Hogwarts. We know you're hiding them."  
"We're a school, not the Ministry." She replied him, not moving from her spot.  
"You are a nest of vipers, but we'll get to that. Follow me, I need you not talk." He replied her, rudely dismissing her.  
They were at the fifth-floor landing when they bumped on a group of first-year students, lots of them, congesting the stairs.  
"You there! Dr…I hate this spell! Come with me!" Joymother ordered Felix through the mass of first-years.  
"You are not someone I either take orders from or begin to respect. And my name is Felix Burton, or Mr. Burton for you, Felix is for my friends."  
"Fifty points to Hufflepuff, come with us." The Headmistress felt somewhat less irritated by the look of silent rage in Joymother's face.  
"And his mudbloods friends, where are they?" Felix felt the strong urge to deck him but restrained himself, and instead turned his head to the First-year closest to him. "Hard Horse should be near the west tower's gargoyle."  
The young girl nodded to him moving on.  
They arrived on the Seventh-Floor Corridor and waited for Ethel, Charles and Claudia to come to them.  
"Open the room of requirement, now!" Joymother ordered Felix.  
"Not sure you want me to do that", Felix replied him with a wide, sly smirk on his lips.  
"Do it, now!" Frederick Joymother pointed at the dead-end corridor.  
"Well, okay then…" Felix closed his eyes and two seconds later the room's doors opened wide.  
Charles and Angel made to enter the room, but Felix placed a hand on Charles' shoulder and gave Angel a shake with his hand.  
Joymother entered the room, followed by the Headmistress. Not a minute later he came screaming out, covered in green, thick, sticky slime.  
"Satisfied now?" Felix made no effort to hide his smile-turned-grin now.  
"What did you think it to do?" Charles tried not to burst into a fit of hysterical laughter, at the sight of the man's face of sheer terror.  
"Allow me to face my darkest, deepest fears a thousand-fold", Felix laughed.  
"Dear Lord! A thousand Boggarts! You are a diabolical genius!" Angel slapped his forehead.  
Professor Jordan appeared, his hands pressed behind his back.  
"Boggarts…who knows what else…the room provides." Felix shrugged his shoulders.  
"You! What…how…I'll…!" Joymother made to grab Felix by his collar but Professor Jordan stepped in his way.  
"Compose yourself man. May I suggest Scourgify? You smell a tad…rank."  
It took Frederick Joymother a while longer to fully calm down and clean up. "Where are the Aurors? I got intel they are hidden in here." He demanded.  
"Not very intelligent, your intel. How would anyone sneak a bunch of adult Aurors in a castle full of over-chatty and gossipy children?!" Charles replied him, blinking rapidly, an effort to feign innocence.  
"Perhaps we can move on to the second reason of your visit?" The Headmistress told him.  
"Very well, because of your incompetence to stop the attacks on the P…students of this school, the Governors have decided that affective immediately you are fired. Horsewood is to replace you as Headmistress and we'll choose a replacement deputy from the start of the next school-year. Here is the official letter for you." Joymother threw a letter at her hands. "Goodbye and good riddance."  
"Well…if I'm no longer Headmistress…I no longer have to stay quiet…or calm in your presence, you thug." Grabbing hold of his robes on his left shoulder she disseperated them both.  
"I thought you couldn't apparate or dissapparate in Hogwarts!" Felix exclaimed.  
"Being the Headmistress has its privileges. Now Mr. Burton, if you would please come with me to the Headmistress' office? I think she and you have words to exchange."  
"Did our guests make it out okay?" Claudia asked.  
"I…don't know but I did not hear of any unpleasantries in the castle, so I would assume whoever you are refereeing to is safely someplace else?" Professor Jordan shrugged his shoulders and started walking towards the stairs.  
They walked in silence to the Headmistress' office. "Married Crabs" Professor spoke the password making the gargoyle in the west tower spin upwards, revealing the stairs to the office.  
"Are the Aurors safe?" Felix asked Professor Horsewood, who stood there, gazing outside one of the windows.  
"Indeed, Governor Joymother will never know just how close he was to a bunch of Aurors earlier. Brilliant idea you and Mrs. Russo had. Having them drink the Polyjuice potion to first years who are all in their classes and having me use the Floo-network-connected-fireplace in this office to whisk them away to the safety of my house in Avon's girdle. Now, to the other matters at hand."  
Felix remained in the Headmistress' office for an hour or two, before making his way to Hufflepuff team's training session.  
Some hours after that he was entering the Great Hall for dinner when he bumped on Emerick. "Oh, sorry." He told him and walked over to the Slytherin table, and the Slytherin Prefect girl.  
"Okay, I'm in. I accept your invitation." He told her wreaking whisper and gasp havoc in the Great Hall.  
The Prefect girl nodded to Harold Nott who nodded back. "Follow us." She said standing up, as did quite a few other people in all four tables.  
"Wait what?!" Charles looked at Claudia feeling lost.  
"Follow him." She said not wanting to believe her friend had made such a u turn.  
The Prefect took him into a large unused classroom, where twenty-two people wearing the PBL's badges awaited them.  
"We are the Pure Blood Legion, we protect the Blood most holy." They said in unison, the twenty-two people plus the Prefect and Harold said in unison.  
Just then Claudia and Charles burst in the room, followed closely by Emerick and some other thirty students all of them, now, wearing the APBm badges.  
"What is this? What is this filth doing here, during our meeting?" Harold Nott pointed at Emerick and the Anti Pure-Blood movement.  
"Oh, will you all shut up already! Both your groups have caused chaos, division and death in Hogwarts. This stops today!" Felix yelled at them.  
"It will stop when all filth-bloods are…" Members of the PBL started saying.  
"It will stop only when Pure-Bloods are…" Members of the APBm started saying.  
Felix saw Harold retrieving his wand. "Tentacifors!" He blasted the transfiguration spell at him, turning his head into a squid's tentacle, while Emerick yelled back at both groups.  
"Oh, will you both shut up, indeed! Expeare!" Everyone in a semicircle around his wand was blasted backwards up against the classroom's walls.  
"Imobilus!" Felix cast right after, making people fall on the ground immobilized.  
"Professors…sorry, Headmistress Horsewood and Professor Jordan!" He raised his voice. "You can come in, now", with a very self-satisfied grin on his face.  
Professor Jordan entered the room, and started accio'ying the two factions' wands, once that was done, he undid the transfiguration of Harold's head, with a chuckle.  
"As of two hours ago I am the new Headmistress of Hogwarts, much to your displeasure I am sure." Professor Horsewood entered the classroom.  
Claudia and Charles stood there, in the classroom's entrance not saying anything.  
"So, with this in mind and with the information supplied to me by Emerick Stalwart; Laurence Greyfur Prefect of Slytherin, Harold Nott, Beatrice Sureface Prefect of Slytherin, Aurora Masterspell Prefect of Gryffindor, Amanda Hornback Prefect of Gryffindor, for disrupting school function, endangering students lives and causing students deaths as well as inciting people to commit acts of crime, you are all here forth expelled from Hogwarts and all other schools of Magic." Professor Horsewood removed her right hand from in front of her lap she was holding them and extended it to her right where Professor Jordan gave her the wands of the students expelled. She held them with both hands and snapped them in half.  
"Take them to my…new office, all of them, we need to scan their memories and find out who did what because so help me Merlin's farting arse anyone who has been involved in hurting students even remotely is getting expelled. Also, those who have committed murders, you are in unbelievably bad luck as we have Aurors in the standby to get you to Azkaban where you will wait until the new Ministry of Magic is assembled and your trial begins. I am not Professor Adams, I do not believe letting your anger be expressed in this fashion and not punishing you for it. This is a school, not a gladiatorial arena. Both Prefects of Slytherin and Gryffindor, you should be deeply ashamed of yourselves, you betrayed not only all that your noble houses stand for, but also Hogwarts and the wizarding community. I hope your parents are proud of you because you will find none in me. A thousand points from both Houses. And a thousand points to Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff for the actions of Mr. Emerick Stalwart and Mr. Felix Burton in helping me end this mess. Take them away." Her face displayed her iron will. Professor Jordan took the fifty or so students away, they had the good sense not to protest or try to run.  
"My mind's exploding right now! What. Is. Going. ONNNN!" Charles exclaimed.  
"For once, you are not alone", Claudia replied feeling equally lost.  
Felix looked at Professor Horsewood who nodded, before leaving the classroom.  
"Back before Christmas I went to Professor Horsewood and proposed to her I join the APBm and bring them down from within. She said no, and said I had to join the opposite side, when it would form…as it did, and she'd have one of my friends join the APBm. Then when all was in place and she had the information she'd need, and if in the meanwhile the Head…Professor Adams had not done anything, we'd act and root them out."  
"So, earlier when you and Professor Jordan went to her office…?"  
"She told us Emerick had given her the information she needed, and it was time I went and "joined" the PBL and end the mess", Felix explained.  
"Nicely done by the way, bumping into me and placing the piece of parchment in my pocket, as you entered the Great Hall", Emerick cracked a smile.  
"So…you never supported the APBm? Not for real?" Claudia asked.  
"As you once said, the best lies are the ones wrapped around a truth. Yes, we must protect ourselves from racism, fascism and bigotry and must stand vigilantly against those who support it, but not like that. Not like those thugs did. Not by hurting and killing each other, we won't defeat their mentality by becoming them. No, I could never support either the APBm anymore than Felix could support the PBL…I just said loudly, publicly what they wanted to hear me, so they would approach and recruit me", Emerick told her.  
"Right, I, of course, knew that." Claudia pushed her hair behind her neck, nonchalantly.  
"Ha! No, you didn't." Emerick poked his tongue at her.  
"Shuddup!" She shoved him away playfully.  
Felix hugged all three of them in a circle. "I'm sorry we couldn't tell you what was going on, it was Professor Horsewood's orders…your reactions to me and Emerick joining opposite sides and forsaking our beliefs and ideals had to be genuine."  
"I'm just glad it's over and I didn't lose friends because of this mess", Claudia said, relieved.  
"WAIT!" Charles exclaimed, grinning wider than a Cheshire cat. "This means we're now second to Ravenclaw's one thousand seven hundred and fifty points, with one thousand five hundred points! Cuz! You must win the two final games!"  
"I have been planning and preparing for this all bloody year", Felix replied, his lips curved into a curt evil smile.  
"I don't know about Slytherin, but don't expect Ravenclaw game to be easy", Emerick replied, giving off a sneer of his own.  
Felix only chuckled in reply.  
"If you two are done measuring….stuff." Claudia rolled her eyes. "Tomorrow night's the night. Time to become animagi."  
"I thought it was animagus?" Charles asked feeling perky.  
"Yeah or die trying!" Felix retorted.  
"Yeah, it's animagus, but I thought I'd be clever and plural it to animagi." Claudia shrugged with a smirk.  
"We need to rest, tomorrow morning's the Slytherin game." Felix untangled himself from his friends.  
"One week to the game against Ravenclaw!" Charles grinned wide, again.  
Felix tried his best to sleep, but a restless sleep it was, the tension of the morrow's game getting to him.  
Classes would be ending a week later, then it was only the Ravenclaw game, the exams and another summer's vacation would start.  
The Hufflepuff team assembled in the Quidditch pitch, circled around Felix. Above them some very anxious Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws awaited for the start of the game.  
"I have a change in strategy, after yesterday's events. We need to finish off this game fast, and not waste energy we'll need for the game against Ravenclaws. Slytherin team's declawed after losing two team members, and two of their best to boot, but underestimate them not. They are a hurt animal and will fight tooth and nail for their honour. Chasers, your goal's the same, your strategy as well. Nate, we are going to harass their new seeker, I don't know him as he's a replacement for Harold Nott and I don't want any surprises. Protect our Chasers but focus on him. Andrew…you have but one concern and one concern only. Find and snatch the Golden Smith as fast as humanly possible, if you can do it one second after the game's tart do so. Professor Willows may be our head of House but give him not a reason to make an example out of us so there's no one to criticize him for aiding us. Avoid fouls where and when you can avoid them. So, boys and girls, men and women, what say you? Shall we win this game?"  
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The team yelled in unison, and the Hufflepuffs in the crowd joined them in one voice.  
Both teams climbed their brooms and a chaser from each team stood opposite of Professor Willows, who whistled the start of the game, throwing the Quaffle up in the air.  
"And the game begins! And what a game this is!" Marisa begun her commentary. "Slytherin are wounded by the expulsion of two of their team members, can House pride and Honour save the day for them or will Hufflepuff win another game?"  
"Come on, Felix!" Screamed Charles, gaining cheers from the Hufflepuff stands.  
Sam grabbed the Quaffle and rocketed straight at his boyfriend Slytherin chaser, looking like murder under his protective helmet.  
The Slytherin captain, as predicted by Felix, made a sharp turn removing himself and his new broom from Sam's path. Terry Rightheart, Sam's boyfriend and Slytherin Chaser knew not what to do, on the one side he knew he had to tackle Sam with his broom and try and steal the Quaffle from him, on the other side he was conflicted. Sam charged at him with bullet-like speed, passing by him to score a goal.  
"GOAL! Goal for Hufflepuff!" Marisa yelled through the enchanted speakers. "Slytherin Captain tries to pass the Quaffl…wait! Max tackles him and he drops the ball! Natalie grabs it, and speeds up for the goal posts! GOAL! TWENTY NIL for Hufflepuff! This team is out for blood people! Slytherin look lost in the woods!"  
"Slytherin manage to pass the Quaffle, as the Slytherin beaters are harassing the Hufflepuff chasers, Felix and Nate look preoccupied in harassing Eva, the replacement Slytherin seeker who looks even more lost than the rest of her team!"  
Max feigned she was going to steal the Quaffle from Ulfred, the third Slytherin chaser and the second replacement, only to pass over him. While he was distracted, looking at her flying over hm, Sam punched the Quaffle from his hands, and shot towards the goal, staying right close to Henry, the Slytherin captain, who tried to avoid him scratching his new broom.  
"What is Henry doing, people! You are supposed to go towards the enemy mate, not avoid him! Goal for Hufflepuff! Thirty zero!" Charles and the Hufflepuffs in the stands erupted in cheers.  
Terry grabbed the Quaffle and ignoring Henry's orders to pass it along he navigated through the pitch, flipping and diving to score Slytherin's first goal.  
Sam passed the ball to Natalie who lost it to Terry who seemed angry. "Second goal for Slytherin! This is becoming an exciting game!" Marisa commentated.  
Felix whistled sharply to Sam, Natalie and Max, then formed a clenched fist and the number two with his fingers. They nodded and scrambled.  
"It's twenty thirty, can Slytherin equa…Sam steals the Quaffle from Henry, and just shoots in the air! That was unexp…oh, Max dives for it and kicks it at the nearest Slytherin! Ulfred ducks for cover and Natalie grabs it! She is going for the goal posts aaaand Forty twenty for Hufflepuff! That was an interesting tactic! Slytherin won't fall for it again folks!"  
Felix bumped his clenched fists together and formed two with each hand's fingers, before batting the bludger at Eva's way.  
"Terry steals the ball and just dives through the Hufflepuff team! Sam is trying to stop him! Goal for Slytherin! Thirty Forty! Tension is rising! The game's open folks! All each team's seeker needs to do is catch the Golden Snitch! Sam grabs the Quaffle and dives for Terry! Not this time! Terry steals the ball from him! Natalie steals it back! Ulfred steals it back, foul! Foul for Slytherin! It's a bloodbath! Sam gives the ball to Natalie who rockets for the Slytherin goal posts, she is literally rocketing at them! The Quaffle is between her hands stuck on her chest! Girl you need to thro…oh my gods! She went in through the goal post with the Quaffle! Fifty forty!"  
"Give me the ball! Give it to me you useless shit! I hate you and your new broom!" Terry yelled at Henry grabbing the ball from him and went through to score for Slytherin.  
"Forty Fifty! Can they equalize? Ulfred steals the ball, passes it to Terry who speeds up. Natalie tries to steal the ball from him, he steps on the back of his broom and sweeps it front, throwing her off course! Nice move there! Sam tries to obstruct him, he just shoves him out of the way, this is one determined chaser! He holds the Quaffle and extends his hand for the left loop, Mary falls for it! Score for Slytherin and they have equalized! Looks like Felix is doing his signals again! Sam grabs the ball and passes it to Natalie, Natalie passes it to Max, Ulfred tries to steal it from her, but she flips over him and passes it to Terry who looks dumbfounded.!" Marisa was lost in her commentating the game, enjoying it fully.  
"Thank you I'll take that!"  
"Sam just takes it from him, he is that surprised! And goal for Hufflepuff! Sixty fifty! What is this? Henry decides to enter the game! He grabs the Quaffle and shoots for the Hufflepuff goal posts! Felix whaaams the bludger right on his broom! He loses the Quaffle! Max grabs it, she passes it on to Natalie who gives it to Sam, Sam passes it back to her! She passes it behind her back to Max! I am getting dizzy from all the action! Max tries to shoot! Ulfred and Terry fall on her path, but she gives it to Sam instead who shoots! GOAL! Seventy fifty! Looks like Andrew has seen something! He is diving for it! He stretches his hand! Oh no! Jerry, one of the Slytherin beaters sends the bludger at him! Will he pull out o…no he is going for it! The bludger will hit him! Pull up you moron! Nate falls right on the path of the bludger! What a move of self-sacrifice! Felix beats the angry ball away! Andrew stretches forward! He is nearly off his broom and…he's caught the Snitch! Hufflepuff WIIIIN!"  
"YES!" Felix yelled shooting his hands up in the air. His voice mingled along with the voices of the Hufflepuffs up in the stands creating a chorus of cacophony and excited cheers.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: All or Nothing

"We are going to get caught!" Charles whined. "It'd be a pity to lose the cup out of our hands!"  
"Oh, so now you believe we'll win it, do you?" Felix whispered back. "What are you worried about? We are four-five prefects less and the Professors ain't around here."  
"Still!"  
"Wanna become an animagus or what?" Felix tried not to chuckle.  
"Oh, god yas! I can just picture my mum's face when she sees me transform into an animal."  
They ascended the stairs from the dungeons through the dark corridors, looking through every corner and walking as fast yet silently as they could.  
"I have this idea you have this idea you're somehow gonna transform into a dragon or something, which you know won't happen, right?" Felix teased him.  
"You don't know that! Just picture it, me transforming into a fire breathing dragon in the middle of the living room."  
"Right, and I'll transform into an alien with five mouths", Felix snorted.  
They arrived in the courtyard. It was a cloudless, moonless night. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Claudia asked them, looking at the galaxy of stars above their heads.  
"Aye." Felix said, looking at the crisp sky.  
"Right, so you're gonna do this thing? My bed is calling for me." Emerick laughed.  
"Right, did ya read the notes and two books? Claudia asked them.  
A barn owl hooted above them, sitting in one of the cloister's columns.  
"Was it first cast spell, then eat mandrake leaf then drink nightmare-to-brew-potion, or the other way around? Just kidding! Yeah, I read everything, much to my brain's discomfort", Charles laughed.  
"All ready here, what's next?" Felix said, getting his wand out.  
"We eat the mandrake leaves first, then we drink the potion and finally you will point your wand at yourself and say, "reperi quid est intra, reperi mea bestia in intra"", Claudia told them, eating the mandrake leaf herself before drinking a phial of the potion. "In theory the leaf and the potion should prepare your body and mind for the transfiguration and the spell will call it out…or we're all about to die horrible deaths."  
"I bet Azrail'd die laughing…", Felix said grimly, ate the leaf and drunk the potion.  
"Okay, so empty your mind and speak the sentence clearly and with the correct pronunciation, one mistake and bad bad", Claudia finished saying.  
"I'll go first. Here goes nothing…reperi quid est intra, reperi mea bestia in intra." Felix said pointing his wand at him.  
Nothing happened.  
"You said it right…ok, let's try the Ancient Egyptian sentence if the Latin one's not working. Ancient Egyptians discovered most of human transfiguration and metamorphology…", Claudia told Felix.  
"Right…" He said the Egyptian verse without much avail.  
"Try emphasizing the "egh" and the mu's more", she told him.  
"Okay…" Nothing happened again.  
"Prolong the a's more and the u's…", Claudia Felix cleared his throat and spoke the Egyptian verse. In the blink of an eye he was transformed into a snow leopard with long white fur, black spots and clear cyan eyes. A long beard-like patch of fur hang under his chin, long spindly whiskers extended from his snout and elongated trigonal ears rose from the top of his head and a white-furred tail two times his body curled on his rear.  
He stretched on his hind legs then on his forelegs making a turn to the left then jumping up and down and giving off a leopard's roar before transforming back to his human form.  
"Amazing! Sooooo cute! Amazing!" Charles exclaimed.  
"incredibile!" Claudia said, clasping her hands.  
"Okay, now I'm envious", Emerick said.  
"That felt…weird, good but weird. I felt…Felix yet I felt like I was an animal…I had full control of tail, head and legs, my brain felt like that of an animal's, but I had full…cognition of who I am, my memories and so on."  
"My turn", Claudia had to say the Latin phrase five times before she transfigured into a Timberwolf with long white and brown fur, red eyes and white teeth. She flexed her muscles some before sitting on her hind legs and howling into the night.  
She switched back to her human form.  
"Yeah, you're right. This is weird yet amazing", she told Felix.  
"Great! My turn!" Charles exclaimed.  
"Someone's coming…I can smell them! There's two people coming our way, a younger male and an older male…how is my senses so sharp all of a sudden?" Felix said looking around.  
"What? Oh fuck, yeah…what do we do? We can't very well be a wolf , a leopard, sorry snow leopard and two hum…", Claudia started saying.  
"Sorry, you can hate me after. Felifors!" He transfigured all three of them into three cats before turning his wand at him and whispering the Egyptian verse.  
Much to his surprise this time he transformed into a white-bellied eagle, with a body of white feathers and two black wings spanning three meters wide.  
He flew up sitting on top of the fountain just as Professor Willows came in the courtyard along with a Ravenclaw Prefect, patrolling.  
Their wands providing light with the Lumos spell they looked around seeing only the cats before leaving. "Kids and leaving their pets run around these days."  
Felix flew a couple of laps before landing on the floor, taking his human form and changing back his friends as well.  
"That…was weird", Charles said, Claudia agreed with a nod.  
"Damn, you're good at transfiguration!" Emerick exclaimed.  
"My turn!" Charles pointed his wand at himself and spoke the Latin incantation loud, nothing happened. With the tenth time of the Egyptian one, a plop and a faint crack he transfigured into a grey hare with a white tail. He gave a couple of jumpy steps forward before transforming back to his human form.  
"Of course, you two get cool, amazing animals. I get a rabbit", He said, pouting.  
"It's cute, like you." Emerick teased him.  
"Riiiiiight! I'm freezing, let's go sleep."  
"Yeah, let's go. I have training tomorrow, and somehow Ravenclaw seeker became faster yet…", Felix transformed back to his animal leopard form took a few steps retransforming to human form again.  
The week passed in a blur of Quidditch training and exams revision. Claudia had her system of studying a few hours each day, Emerick studied all day every day including Sundays, Charles struggled to keep concentrated and Felix spent his days between the team's training spot in the Forbidden Forest and the Library. He even slept there a night or two.  
Then, finally the day Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs alike had been waiting for, arrived.  
Felix gathered the team in the Forbidden Forest with dawns first light, he had them all, including himself, thread the needle for an hour before they dismounted their brooms and sat them on the forest floor.  
"Pick a leaf from the forest floor, you won't do anything else today, until it's time for the game to start. Empty your minds." Leading by example he picked up an oak leaf and concentrated on it. Hesitantly the team did the same.  
"Where is Felix? I can't find him anywhere", Charles whined.  
"He was seen taking the Hufflepuff team out of the castle at dawn break", Emerick told him.  
"Feh, I can't concentrate. Where is he? What is he doing? What is his strategy? Are we going to win? We haven't won in over a hundred years!" Charles said in one breath.  
"I am positive, his mind is blowing to pieces", Claudia teased him.  
"Nah, he's always like that, besides our team's good, we'll win", Emerick said smugly.  
"You wish!" Charles was interrupted by the Librarian.  
"Out! None of you is actually studying! OUT!" He showed them the door.  
"I think we might have made him angry", Emerick laughed, exiting the Library.  
"I can't wait for…"  
"Yes, we know, this day to be over!" Claudia cut Charles off.  
The day dragged on, agonizingly slow for some. Two hours before the start of the game even Emerick could not concentrate on anything else.  
"Our seeker's faster than Hufflepuff's. And we have good chasers. I mean we won the first round…", Emerick voiced his thoughts aloud.  
"But the team wasn't as well trained as they are now. It was Felix's second game as team captain, and even then, it took you guys five hours to defeat us", Charles countered him.  
"I know, this is far more stressful than it should be! It's only a stupid game…"  
"Give it up, Emerick. I am stressed and I'm Gryffindor", Claudia said closing her books. "Look, there's no point sitting here in the Great Hall, trying to study. Let's go to the Quidditch pitch and grab some good spots", even indifferent Claudia was now worked up.  
In fact, the whole school was worked up. Slytherins supported Ravenclaw just out of spite for losing to Hufflepuff and Gryffindors were split, each individual student supporting what they wanted. Anxiety was high, as were the spirits of the two contenders.  
Felix entered the stadium along with the rest of the team. He was deaf and blind to everyone and everything else around him, his mind fully concentrated on the team, the game ahead and their strategy. Nothing else mattered.  
"Boys and girls, men and women", Felix started his pep-talk as he always did. "This is it, the year's final game. You know our strategy, the one you have trained for, bled for, sweated for? Good, so does everyone else, forget it exists. This is the strategy we'll play, so listen close, listen carefully", Felix deployed the new strategy, explaining and telling them what he wanted from each of them. "Today we are required to do the impossible, but then again, impossible is only that not been done by anyone else, yet. What say you Hufflepuffs? Ready to win this one?" He said aloud.  
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The team along with every Hufflepuff student in the stands yelled.  
They mounted their brooms ascending.  
Felix and the Ravenclaw team captain flew to the center of the pitch, shaking hands before the start of the game.  
"You have done well for Hufflepuff, to bring them so far when no one was counting you to win even a single game. I am sorry, Ravenclaw will win this one", the Seventh-year boy told him, the breeze waving his blond hair in front of his green eyes.  
"Years from now, when you remember this game on this day, remember this moment. On this moment you lost the game", Felix replied, a face void of emotion.  
A chaser from each team flew to the center of the pitch, on the left and right of Professor Willows who stretched his left hand to his side, holding the Quaffle and whistled the start of the game, launching the ball up in the air.  
"And the game has begun! Tensions are flying high on this one folks! James grabs the Quaffle for the Ravens, he tries to pass it to Ian. The ball is intercepted by Sam! Sam passes it to Max who sends it flying towards the Ravenclaw loops! Matilda has no problem catching that one, she gives it to her captain Frank who tries to pass it to Ian, but Natalie steals it and shoots at the goal in one motion! GOAL! Quite the power behind this shot folks! Ten zero for Hufflepuff. Frank passes the Quaffle to Ian and he passes it to Ismelda who makes for the Hufflepuff posts, Felix sends the bludger after her! She flips a same axon loop to avoid it but Natalie slams into her! Ref whistles foul! Ismelda wastes no time and passes it to Ian who shoots! Mary catches it with ease." Marisa took a breath while Mary passed the ball to Sam.  
"Sam has the Quaffle, he holds on to it and makes a run for it! Frank and James block his way, he holds the ball on his back and kicks it forward with his broom! James and Frank collide with him! Natalie grabs the Quaffle and sends it flying forward! Ian tries to steal it, but he misses it by a hair, Max grabs hold of it and levels her body on her broom! She's like a flying rocket folks! Matilda is hovering between her goal posts, Max has to choose one! Left? Will she send it right? On the center! Such anxiety! She's getting closer! Closer! PICK A LOOP! She goes behind them! Matilda falls for the left goal post! Max sends the ball to Natalie who takes hold of it and sends it to the right one! GOAL FOR HUFFLEPUFF! Twenty zero! Matilda tries to pass the ball to Ian, but Sam steals it aaand 30 zero Huffs are ahead! Gertrude is diving! THE RAVENCLAW SEEKER IS DIVING! Such speed! She's flying so fast it's a bluuuuurrr! Nate sends the bludger after her, but Ronald, one of the Ravenclaw beaters sends it away but Felix comes from behind and smashes it back at her! She avoids it and keeps going! Her hand almost has the sn…WHAM! THAT'S A FOUL REF! The Hufflepuff seeker just crashed onto her! Professor Willows gives the foul. Frank passes it to Ian, but he fumbles it! What are you doing man! Max steals it, Ian falls on her…foul for Hufflepuff!"  
"No picking sides, Mrs. Insanewell."  
"Sorry, Professor Horsewood…Natalie has the Quaffle, she spins on her axis and passes it to Max through Ian's fingers, come on MAN! Max slingshots through the sides of the pitch, threading the towers, she heads to the right, no! It was a feign! Frank fell for it, that'll be a nasty fall! Max goes to the left! What is Felix signing her there?! She gains speed…Ronald pummels the bludger on her! She's going faster! Girl do you want to be hit by a ball going a h…she falls from her broom! She's holding on to it with only one hand! Oh my god! The bludger smashes up against Ian! That's a broken arm if I've ever seen one! Natalie passes by and gets the ball from Max, Max jumps back on her broom…Natalie passes to Sam…goal for Hufflepuff! Forty nil…Frank is bringing in a replacement chaser while Andrew is obstructing Gertrude.  
"Sam fouls Ismelda, Ismelda tries to pass it to Frank but Sam is blocking her vision, Natalie steals it, she's close to the goal loops, be ca…goal for Hufflepuff….fifty zero…What is Andrew doing? You're supposed to be looking for the Snitch man!"  
"Nate sends the ball towards Matilda who ducks for cover, nooooo! Sixty zero. Come on Gertrude grab that Golden Snitch…Sam has scored another goal for Hufflepuff…seventy zero. Andrew is like a fly around Gertrude, how is she to….", Marisa had to duck for cover herself as Felix blasted the bludger her way with a vengeance. "THAT'S A FOUL REF! WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO!?" Marisa swore at Professor Willows who motioned his hand for the game to continue.  
"Ismelda tries to make a run for it, she speeds past Natalie, ouch! Max and Sam stop their brooms right in front of her, that's got to hurt!"  
"Thank you, I'll get that." Sam got the Quaffle from Ismelda, letting her hold on to her broom with one, injured, arm and passed it straight to Natalie."  
"Tell me boys, do you know what Felix has had us doing for nearly a year? THREADING THE NEEDLE AROUND TREES!" Natalie yelled at Frank and Paul, the replacement chaser and proceeded to zig zagging around them as if they were stationary objects.  
"Natalie is twisting and turning, can they not stop her?! Foul h…sorry, Professor! Natalie passes Frank like he doesn't exist and shoots for…goal, eighty zero…Frank and the chasers can't seem to be able to keep up with the badgers!  
"Max steals the Quaffle form Ismelda, Christine the beater bats the bludger her way! Max does not seem to take notice, she keeps going faster! The bludger is almost on her! Nate has done it again! He places himself in front of the bludger! But this time he's not as lucky, looks like a broken leg. Max keeps going! Matilda turns to face her, she stretches her haaaaaands and Max passes to Natalie who scores on an empty loop, ninety zero! And in comes Victor, the Hufflepuff replacement beater. Felix tells him some quick orders and the game continues.  
"Victor sends the bludger on Ronald, that doesn't seem to make Felix happy."  
"Fuck!" Felix swore under his breath. "Target…target Andrew!" He tried telling Victor with as low a voice as he could.  
"Andrew? He's in our sid…"  
"Do what the captain says!" Natalie told him with a with no-nonsense look. "Don't question, do as you're told!"  
But Frank had seen and heard.  
"They're targeting our seeker, she's faster than theirs! I don't know why but protect her!" Frank's orders to his beaters cost him as Sam stole the Quaffle from him and passed it on to Natalie who after exchanging some passes with Max proceeded to score another goal for Hufflepuff.  
"It's a hundred zero people…six goals and…" Felix sent the bludger on Marisa yet again.  
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" Charles kept repeating, jumping up and down on his seat in one of the towers around the pitch.  
"Calm down! You'll open a hole on the…oh who am I kidding this is too stressful! GO HUFFLEPUFF!" Claudia yelled.  
"Exactly what this game was missing…", Emerick complained. "It's started raining…" It was as if the sky was weeping for Ravenclaw as it begun to poor cats and dogs down on them.  
"Natalie!" Felix yelled. "HIDE!"  
"Hide? What does he mean hide? She can't use magic….", Marisa commentated feeling lost.  
Marisa soon found out as Natalie went outside the towers, going so fast that in the mist and rain you could barely see her. Round and round she went.  
"Max and Sam keep exchanging the Quaffle, what do you think, Frank want to try and steal it?" Marisa seemed increasingly disinterested in how the game was going for Ravenclaw. With Ravenclaw beaters concentrated on Victor, Andrew and Gertrude Sam and Max had an easy job threading Frank, Ismelda and James and scored for the one hundred and ten to Zero.  
Frank passed a flimsy pass to Ismelda. Sam saw it coming and snuck in between like a bullet stealing the ball and scoring for the one hundred and twenty to zero.  
Ten minutes later it was obvious frank and the Ravenclaw team had abandoned the game and were hoping their seeker would grab the Golden Snitch and win it for them. They had the better, faster seeker after all.  
"It's one hundred and thirty to zero people….three more goals and….WHAT IS IT WITH YOU AND SENDING BLUDGERS ON ME!?" Marisa screamed as Felix blasted the bludger her way one more time, but the cat was out of the bag.  
"SCORE A GOAL!" Frank yelled to his team, having understood Felix's strategy.  
"No, you don't!" Felix yelled and placing two fingers on his mouth he whistled as loud as he could. "Missing something are we?" Just then Max and Sam begun a ferocious passing system edging closer and closer to the Ravenclaw goal posts. Ismelda and Frank tried driving in, trying to steal the Quaffle from them, in vain, then Sam shot the ball seemingly up in the air, to no one, but Felix batted the bludger straight at it, the two balls collided, sending them in opposite directions and while everyone made for cover from the angry iron-made bludger, Natalie came out of nowhere, grabbed the Quaffle and stretching her hand back like a catapult fired it at the Ravenclaw middle loop. "WHAT A GOAL FOR HUFFLEPUFF! Matilda did not even see that coming! One hundred and forty to zero! You have to wonder, folks. Can Hufflepuff do it?!" Marisa yelled in renewed passion.  
"Matilda tries to pass the ball to Frank…Sam steals it and goal for Hufflepuff! One hundred and fifty to zero! Frank gets the Quaffle himself and starts a run! He passes Sam, Max tries to steal it, but Frank just sweeps his broom and twists around her! He is close, he throws a shot at the Hufflepuff Goal loops, Mary obstructs it but the Quaffle escapes her hands, Paul grabs it and throws it at her left loop, Felix gets in the way, but the Quaffle falls down, Ismelda takes hold of it and tries to score, Mary grabs hold of it! AND GERTRUDE HAS FOUND THE SNITCH! SHE'S GOING AFTER IT!"  
"Max, Sam, Natalie! HYDRA!" Felix yelled to his chasers.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Angelsword

"Hufflepuff chasers are forming a wedge! Felix is above and behind them! The bludger comes their way, he sends it away, Uriel and Ronald send it back at them."  
"VICTOR! PROTECT THEIR LEFT FLANK!" Felix yelled to his other beater who sped up towards them, while Felix batted the bludger away.  
"Ronald sends the bludger at them again, Frank tries to steal the Quaffle from Max, Felix sends the bludger right at his face, Frank dives for safety, Max passes the ball to Sam, Sam sends it back to Natalie, Natalie sends it to max, Ismelda tries to steal the ball from Max but gets hit by her own beater's bludger meant for Max, Max sends it back to Sam, Gertrude has almost caught the snitch. Andrew tries to block her way, she loops around him, Max and Natalie veer outside the wedge, Felix blasts the bludger back at Ronald who runs to avoid it, Matilda tries to block the shot, she BLOCKS IT! SAM GRABS THE QUAFFLE AND SCORES! GERTRUDE GRABS THE SNITCH! THE GAME IS OVER!"  
Felix shot his hands up on the air, letting out a roar.  
"The game is over! Hufflepuff win with one hundred and sixty points to a hundred and fifty! What a game! Professor Willows whistles the end! It's over folks! Hufflepuff have won the Quidditch cup and the House cup! They've done it!" Marisa said with half a heart, but her words even though enchanted to sound loud were covered up by a deafening roar from every Hufflepuff in the stands, screaming as one.  
The seven team members of Hufflepuff, Nate included, his injured leg forgotten, fell on Felix, glomping and hugging him as they circled lower to the soil, where an ever-increasing number of Hufflepuffs joined them, raising the team on their shoulders, their heroes.  
"WE WON THE CUP! WE WON THE CUP! WE WON THE CUP! WE WON THE CUP!" Charles fell on Felix repeating the same line over and over again and again, in tears of happiness. Alfred joined them as all three started jumping up and down yelling the same thing as Charles.  
It took several hours for the professors to send the victorious Hufflepuff house to their common room where the festivities continued well into the wee hours of the morning.  
At some point Frank managed to comb through the ball of Hufflepuffs to Felix, extending his hand at him. Felix shook it. "Well deserved victory, you outwitted and outplayed us."  
"Thanks!" Felix replied before returning to his cousins, Emerick and Claudia who had joined them.  
It wasn't weird that in the next two weeks that followed most Hufflepuffs did not perform as well in their final exams, with Felix as a notable exception who went on to finish first in his year, surpassing even the very surprised Emerick and Claudia.  
"Another year comes to a finish, and what a year it has been. I won't tarry long, I know we are all anxious to eat and board the Hogwarts Express to our summer vacations, but I feel obligated to give ten honourary house points, since the House cup is already decided, and my points won't change anything, to Felix Burton for the best damned Quidditch game I have seen during my years as a student and Professor in this school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Well done Felix and well done Hufflepuff. With this out of the way, let us drink, let us eat and let us be marry!" Professor Horsewood clasped her hands, the tables filling with food and beverages.  
After their bellies were full of food and drink, they made their way to the platform, were the train awaited them, their trunks being loaded by a burly, ebony woman Felix had not seen previously.  
Not an hour later they were departing Hogwarts, the castle lit up by a million candles and even more torches in the dark of night, bidding them farewell under a cloudy sky.  
It was a cheery ride back to London and platform nine and three quarters, as Felix and his friends seemed to have forgotten all the troubles caused by the APBm and the PBL, focused solely on their House Cup and Quidditch victories. Charles and Alfred reenacting the final game in full detail.  
"Mum! Mum! We won the House cup!" Charles yelled at his parents, the train had not even come to a full stop yet.  
"So, we heard." Peter chuckled at his eldest son's enthusiasm as the boys jumped off the train hugging their parents, followed closely by Felix, Emerick and Claudia.  
"I'll see you in a few weeks, aye?" Felix hugged Emerick and Claudia.  
"Of course, and we'll mail until then", Claudia replied.  
Alfred was already telling William everything that had happened since Christmas vacations, most of which the youngest of the three Blake boys already knew from letters he was exchanging with his brothers, but never tired of hearing about Hogwarts and all the cool stuff he would one day soon be learning there. Alfred, Felix and Charles retold the final Quidditch game to their parents, during the eight hours drive.  
Peter pulled up on the driveway, parking the car. Alfred and William jumped out first, running inside the house.  
Helen followed them in.  
Not a second later Peter, Charles, Hope and Felix heard her panicked scream.  
They ran inside the house, and the living room to find the cleaning lady dead on the floor, Azrail and Sandra holding Alfred and William by their necks, wands pressed against their skin and Ernaline lying on the sofa, looking bored and vexed.  
"Anyone does anything I don't like, and the little shits die first. Half-brother of mine, there are three cups on the table. You and your mother will take hold of one each. You get to pick the third person to follow you through. Choose fast, my patience is not infinite", Azrail told him in a low voice. A self-satisfied, evil smirk adorning his lips.  
Peter restrained his wife from trying to go to her youngest sons. His eyes said it all, he wanted to shred Azrail and his thugs to pieces but knew better than to attempt it. All he wanted and needed was half a chance.  
"Who told you about the Blakes?" Felix asked, his face pale.  
"A...friend I have been…cultivating in Hogwarts. No more talking, choose or everyone dies."  
Felix looked around the room, his heart pounding in his chest, his throat dry. He and Charles were the only ones with wands that stood any sort of chance, so he made his decision.  
"Mum…Charles pick up each a cup…I'll be right there." Hope and Charles seemed to understand his reasoning behind his choice, walked up to the table and picked up the two of the three cups. In an instant they had vanished.  
"Portkeys…", Felix whispered. "Uncle, I've been learning Gaelic Cornish", he said in Cornish without looking back, never breaking eye contact with Azrail. "Send letter to Horsewood, send Caladrius."  
"You have my mum and my cousin, let Alfred and William go and leave!" He told Azrail.  
"Let him go", Azrail ordered Sandra, shoving William to his mother.  
"Must I? He'd make for an exquisite pet", Sandra whined.  
"Let him go, fucker, before I make you into an exquisite corpse." Azrail replied her with a sneer.  
Sandra shoved Alfred to his father, looking murderous at Azrail.  
Sandra and Ernaline dissaperated. "Grab the third cup, brother", Azrail told him.  
"After you leave, I'm not you, I won't sacrifice those I care about the most to run away", Felix replied him, never breaking eye contact.  
Azrail dissaperated.  
Felix grabbed hold of the third cup, feeling a familiar tug as the Blakes' house vanished beneath his feet.  
He landed on a cold, wet slab of granite floor, in a dark, humid, low-ceiling room.  
Felix blinked his eyes acclimatizing to the darkness and what little light came through the cracks in the door.  
Hope and Charles lay next to him and opposite them there lay a man without hands or feet.  
"You are the man from my visions, the one unwillingly aiding Azrail find the item he's looking for", Felix stated.  
"The Necromancer's cup, is not an item, the Ferryman's vessel's not an item but your brother is unaware of that." The man answered him, his voice coming forth laboured and low.  
"What is it, then? If it is not an item?" Felix asked him, but the man said no more.  
They had no idea how much time had passed, waiting in the dark, cold, wet room, they slept and woke several times, Bloodfang brought them water and stale bread thrice until they heard commotion outside. Felix taking hold of Charles and his mum's hands in his.  
"Bring the three to me", Azrail's voice came, muffled from outside in the distance.  
The door opened, and Bloodfang with Marigold and Sandra entered the room. They grabbed hold of them from the back of their necks, dragging them upstairs, through black-marbled stairs, to the throne room Felix had seen so many times in his dreams and visions.  
This time, though, there was a table in the middle of the room, with various items scattered on it, including the Book of Leaves. The real one.  
Azrail sat on his throne of bones, always cloaked in his Dementor's cloak. Next to him stood Ernaline. Bloodfang, Marigold and Sandra left the room, closing all doors behind them.  
"We are going to play a game, little brother", Azrail spoke in a gleeful voice. "Of all the items on the table, only one can help you leave this place. All the others are trapped and will kill you on touch, so you know what'll happen if you touch all but two identical ones. You have seven minutes to find the correct two items and you can choose two people to leave this place alive, the third one dies. If you have not found the two items after the seven minutes mark, all three of you die by my sword. Start", Azrail flicked his wand and a clock formed out of black and red dye, levitating up above the table.  
Felix searched through the items, touching nothing, scanning each and every one of them with his eyes. "He said nothing about using my wand to levitate them out of my way", he thought to himself and getting his wand out he started discarding the ones he was sure were wrong. Tea cups, plates, books, the Book of Leaves, a bike helmet, other trinkets.  
"It's got to be something relating to Death…Azrail's obsessed with it…" His mind raced. Three minutes remained.  
Then he saw them, two identical gold coins on the center of the table, only they weren't galleons or Muggle modern coins. No, these looked ancient and he remembered. In ancient times they would place a gold coin in each eye for the Ferryman's pay.  
Trying to look indifferent he flicked his hands behind his back, motioning for Charles and Hope to come to him. He had no idea and no way of knowing if Azrail knew, but he knew. With just one of the two coins he could portkey all three of them out of the room if both Charles and his mum were holding on to him.  
One minute remained.  
Felix tried to appear calm, tried to slow down his beating heart, his racing mind, tried not to sweat, not to allow the panic that threatened to overcome him.  
"You understand yes? Why I have to do this to you? You have found them, haven't you? The Ferryman's coins?" Azrail asked him, his voice strained and deadly. "Do you, finally, understand why all of this has to happen? Brother of mine?" Azrail stood up from his throne, he and Ernaline retrieving their wands.  
Hope and Charles held on to his shoulders.  
"ACCIO COINS!" Felix yelled.  
"Angelsword!" Azrail extended his wand above his head, and a thousand green jets of energy erupted from it.  
Hope shut her eyes.  
Ernaline cast a spell.  
Someone screamed.  
Felix closed his hand around the coins.  



End file.
